Worth Searching For
by LadyHitachiin
Summary: She had lost her shinobi status with a deadly poison. With a dying body and injured pride, she traveled the world to find him for more than one reason, but would he accept her after seven years of searching?
1. Prologue

Title: Worth Searching For

Genre: Romance/Adventure

Language: English

Rating: M

Pairing: Trafalgar Law & Sakura Haruno

Summary: She had lost her shinobi status with a deadly poison. With a dying body and injured pride, she traveled the world to find him for more than one reason, but would he accept her after seven years of searching?

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or Naruto nor do I make any money from my writings.

Full Summary: She had lost her shinobi status with a deadly poison. With a dying body and injured pride, she traveled the world to find him for more than one reason, but would he accept her after seven years of searching? Her body was far from what it used to be and even if he refused to help her or cure her, she had already been saved by him. This was her journey toward her goal. To him.

Prologue:

 _Crimson trails that held a metallic scent rolled down paled and bruised skin. Jade eyes were glazed over as they skimmed over fuzzy features that loomed over the petite form, pupils dilated as wide as saucers. Voices were muffled and distorted as figures in white outfits shouted out distant instructions, all of which were lost on the kunoichi. Her body was numb and somewhere in the back of her mind as some sort of instinct that she had developed in her years of shinobi work, she knew she should be in pain. Disoriented images and thoughts ran through her mind, none of which made much sense to her, though a constant question rang through her mind like an alarm, causing her currently sensitive head to ache._

 _'Am I dying?'_

 _She could barely stay awake, the shouting of the medics running around doing little to help her slipping consciousness, save for their loud noises echoing throughout her ears and banging against her skull. Pink hair plastered to her face and neck, the sweat aiding in it sticking to her features and adding a darker shade to it's usually bright color. Her head turned to the side and a soft moan left her lips, unaware of her shirt being torn open to expose her chest._

 _If she were able to produce any rational thought or focus on anything for more than a split second, she might have seen the discolored skin of her abdomen. She might have noticed the purplish-black bruise that was formed around an obvious puncture wound on the left side of her navel. She might have realized that poison was spreading rapidly through her body, might have noticed that her breaths were getting heavier, her heart beat increasing with each passing moment._

 _However, Sakura noticed none of these things. Not the way that her body would spasm uncontrollably every few moments or the way that foam slipped out of the side of her lips. Not the pain that shot through her body, rippling through every nerve ending and cell that her being had to offer. Especially not the way someone shouted for Tsunade and for someone to bring her there. The female wasn't able to process anything at all and that in itself was enough for one of the most primal emotions to hit her, even in such a state. Fear._

 _Where was she? What happened? Why was she like this? Who were these people? How did she end up here? When did this happen?_

 _Many moments passed by. Seconds. Minutes. Hours. She didn't know, but she was able to understand the fact that her head had finally settled on facing one direction, her eyes landing on an unexciting corner of whatever bland room she was in. Her body had stopped it's incisive squirming, her movement coming to almost a complete stop. The only indication that life still pumped through her veins was the short and soft rising and falling of her chest and the occasional blinking of her eyes._

" _How is she doing?" someone asked. A woman and the sound had a soothing effect on the female for an odd reason. Did she know her?_

" _The worst part is over with, ma'am and she seems to be stabilized, though her condition is far from being improved. It is an advanced form of poison. None of our medics are able to isolate it in order for it to be analyzed. None of us know what to do, Lady Tsunade."_

" _I see. ANBU was able to catch the man that did this. Hopefully they'll be able to get something out of him. Until then, I'll look after her."_

" _Yes ma'am."_

 _That was right. Tsunade-shishou. What was she doing back in Konoha? Did she even leave in the first place?_

" _There's one more thing Lady Tsunade."_

" _What is it?"_

 _There was a long pause before the medic continued, as if mentally preparing themselves for some catastrophic event to be unfolded._

" _If we aren't able to cure this poison, I'm afraid to say that she won't last the year."_

 _~Scene Change~_

" _The man that we are looking for has the power to cure any illness." a member of the Yamanaka clan stated, a glimmer of relief in his blue eyes as he gazed down at the former medic._

 _Sakura stared ahead of her at the man strapped into a chair. His dark hair fell in front of him as his face was lowered downward. Sweat ran from his body and over olive colored skin. Chiseled muscle could be seen under loose clothing along with a defined tattoo on his left shoulder of a skull and crossbones. His skin was clear of any scars or any evidence of previous harsh battles. It was clear that he wasn't a shinobi, but was he?_

 _What else was obvious was the fact that he was dangerous. The poison that he had injected into the kunoichi on her previous mission was nothing to mess with. It had practically destroyed her. With three months of rehabilitation, she was able to gain back conscious thought and she had immediately realized that something drastic had happened to her body, in more ways than one._

 _Her pride as a shinobi was lost. Her body had shrunk down to the size of a child. That she could live with. The loss of her strength and chakra, she could not. The realization had hit her hard. Everything that she had worked for for the past fifteen years, gone within a few hours as the effects of the poison had settled into her body right after it entered her blood stream. She couldn't even remember how it happened, but the fact that it had was a blow to her pride nonetheless. She didn't even realize how important those two attributes of her everyday life was to her until it was gone._

 _She had taken over the title as one of the Legendary Sannin from her Shishou two years prior during the Fourth Great Shinobi War. She had held that title with honor and pride and now it was reduced to nothing but a mediocrity. She was ashamed of herself and without her powers, she felt exposed and vulnerable. Even with the fact that she had recently been wed to the man of her dreams and the newly etched tattoo of ANBU on her right shoulder, she couldn't find anything to lift her spirits._

 _Her expression was solemn and her cheeks were uncharacteristically chubbier than what used to be seen from her. Her eyebrows were furrowed and tears threatened to fall from her jade eyes. She forced them at bay, struggling to keep what little dignity she had left. She could no longer be a shinobi like this. How was she supposed to live like this? What was she supposed to do? Being a shinobi was all she knew. It was her job, her life, her pride. Sure, she had her husband, she had her friends, her family, her village, but she had lost something that was so much more important to her than she ever could have imagined and she wanted it back at any cost._

 _That was when she was told about the man's memories. About a barrier surrounding their continent, about a small crack in it near the Land of Wind. This man had come from outside the barrier with only a curious mind and had apparently attacked her on a whim, for no apparent reason. Something which that had filled the pinkette with rage._

 _Her hands clenched at her sides and her flat chest heaved an infuriated and distressed sigh. Everything had changed so quickly, she needed a bit of reassurance that the entire world hadn't flipped upside-down and turned on her. Though she knew that that wasn't the case, she couldn't help but feel defeated by the universe in some sort of sick, demented way. One of Sasuke's shirts fell loosely over her shoulders and down to her knees. His scent wafted upward into her nostrils occasionally when she moved around and it was able to sooth her nerves, even for the slightest of moments. It seemed as if it was the anchor that kept her temper and overflowing emotions held down._

 _Of course, Sakura wasn't one to be defeated so easily and she hated losing more than anything. If she let something like this break her then she wouldn't be worthy of regaining her status as one of Konoha's Legendary Sannin, or even a shinobi period. They endured, that was what made them shinobi and she would endure. She refused to let this overcome her. She didn't give a damn how long she had left to live, she would get through this._

" _The man you are looking for is a monster." the man spoke, catching the attention of Sakura, the Yamanaka, Shizune, and the other three ANBU members that were currently standing in the darkened room surrounding the man tied to the chair._

" _What do you mean?" the Yamanaka asked, his blonde eyebrows furrowing in observation and contemplation._

 _The prisoner looked up at Sakura, his dark brown eyes showing contempt and another dark emotion as they settled on her eyes. A smirk grazed his dry and thin lips, raising the skin of his cheek and scrunching up the side of his small nose. "The man you are looking for is a cold-hearted freak. He feels nothing of compassion and his very goal was to destroy everything and everyone in sight. He's a monster and you will die before the year is up."_

 _Sakura felt something stir inside of her gut and a twinge of pain entered her heart at the way this man was talking about the other. Did he know him personally? They knew he didn't. Even so, something didn't sit right with her. Perhaps it was the way he held complete disdain in his eyes when talking about him. Maybe it was the way his words were laced with venom. Or could have been that word that he used? Monster? There was something about that disgusting word that made her stomach churn. She hated it._

" _Perhaps if you can get out of your safe little box and visit my world, you'll be able to find a doctor to cure you."_

 _Shizune immediately replied, hope filling her at last since this whole charade began, though she did well to hide it from the man before her as she stood beside the young girl that she viewed as a younger sister. "It can be cured by any doctor outside of that wall?"_

 _The man tilted his head to the side, feeling empowered by the situation even when his arms and legs were completely bound to the chair behind and beneath him. "Naturally, the materials I used for the poison were from there. Any brilliant doctor there would be able to neutralize the poison and possibly reverse the effects. It may not revert you back to normal though, its a high possibility that its impossible, but it will keep you from dying."_

 _The Yamanaka had doubt and suspicion in his voice when he asked, "You've been quiet for three months, why tell us this now?"_

 _The man chuckled darkly, amusement flowing over his features and it laced his voice when he said, "Because it doesn't matter anymore, this girl will be dead long before she even finds a doctor that is capable of helping her."_

 _Sakura furrowed her eyebrows and looked down at the ground. She was set to die in six months, that would mark the end of the year. She had no strength, no chakra, no knowledge of what laid outside of that barrier, and no way of knowing if she would be able to find a doctor for the poison that had turned her life upside-down. Yet, one thing that she did know, she wasn't going to stop or give up. She wasn't going to lose and she wasn't going to let someone else fight her battles for her, even if she had no way to fight back._

 _With that thought in mind, she decided with a hardened resolve that she would be the one to search for a doctor. It was her body, her life. Despite her appearance, she was an adult and a full-fledged shinobi, or was. The tattoo on her shoulder proved the fact that she was capable of defending herself. She still had her knowledge and experience, she could avoid any real threats and make weapons to fight with. She wasn't completely defenseless._

 _She would find a doctor and live. She would survive and come back to Konoha as the warrior she once was and in order to do that, she needed to find someone that was exceptional. Someone that could cure any disease or injury. She needed the best and one person came to mind. However, there was another reason. She not only wanted to be cured by the best, she wanted to be cured by this so called 'monster'. Although there was a chance that he wouldn't be willing to help her like that man had said._

 _The pinkette let that thought swim around in her cluttered mind for a few moments while the others discussed on what they should do. What would she do if the man refused her? Her chances of survival were nil to begin with, there was a high possibility that she wouldn't be able to find him or any doctor for that matter. Rejection she could live with. Going without her powers, she could not. She knew somewhere in the back of her mind that it would take more than six months to find this miracle doctor. It depended solely on her willpower to keep her moving forward._

 _Her chest contracted greatly while she thought over what she was going to do. She figured that she could make it easier on herself by going to the first hospital that she could find, but there was something nagging at her conscious._

"The man you are looking for is a monster."

 _She knew the effect that that word had on Naruto and Gaara, two of her closest friends. She knew of the way that they had isolated themselves from everyone else, either because they didn't have a choice or because it gave them comfort. They had both been shunned by their own people, forced into a corner of their subconscious, and began to question their very existence. She had never had to deal with something like that and her being picked on and shoved aside as a young child by her peers couldn't possibly compare with theirs. She supposed there was guilt in her heart for not having been there for Naruto when they were younger. She had her own problems then, but she could have still opened her eyes toward him back then._

 _Vaguely, she wondered if this man was the same way as Naruto was back then. If this prisoner thought of him as such and didn't even know him, then it was possible that the doctor had a reputation. She knew well that reputations could get out of hand and leave the actual person being misunderstood. Was he actually as cold-hearted as this man described him or was he just being labeled and called a monster? There was something about the whole thing that compelled her to find out. She wanted to know and be healed by this man and she knew deep down that no other doctor would be able to satisfy her._

" _Tell me about this man." the kunoichi spoke up since entering the room, her voice confident and smooth even with a higher pitch than what many were used to. Many in the room were surprised by her statement, including the prisoner himself._

" _Sakura." Shizune whispered, taken aback by the look in the younger girl's jade eyes. They were so full of life at the moment, so full of determination. It was like having the old Sakura back, the one that was trained by Tsunade, the one that fought alongside the strongest in the war._

 _The man let a smirk slowly form on his lips, regaining himself after his moment of surprise. Who'd have thought that the little girl that barely came up to the waist of the woman beside her, the one that had hardly made a noise until now, would have grown so confident all of a sudden. "His name is. . ." He let a moment of suspense fill the air, knowing that they were waiting for his reply. There was no way in hell that that man would cure this girl. She was just wasting her time even trying to convince herself that she could find him._

" _Trafalgar Law."_

Thank you for reading. Please review, I would greatly appreciate it.

As for a few pointers about my fic to clear any possible confusion. Sakura is married to Sasuke, she is nineteen years old, her body has shrunk to the size of a ten year old approximately. I have done this on purpose so that it can fit into the view of the relationship I have in mind for her with the Straw Hat pirates. I do plan on this being a SakuraxLaw fic, but it will be awhile before it gets to that point so please bear with me.


	2. Life At Sea

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or One Piece nor do I make any money from my writings.

Authors Note: Sakura was nineteen during the prologue, but since seven years have passed since then, she is now twenty-six. I will put in occasional flashbacks during the story to keep everyone posted on what happened so that it doesn't feel like there is just a big, pointless gap between the time-lines. Also, thanks for the reviews :)

Chapter One: Life At Sea

Pink hair flowed behind her in gentle waves, mocking the very water that she sailed on. Calm jade orbs were set in front of her, used to these waters. Although, this sea was rather gentle and calm compared to the one that she had passed through on her way here. She couldn't remember how many times she had barely escaped death since traveling over this vast ocean that people called 'the Grand Line'. Her once strong body had been reduced to that of a child's and without her strength and chakra thanks to the poison coursing through her veins, it had been one hell of a trip. Luckily, she was able to make her way across the more dangerous half of the Grand Line thanks to a few generous pirate captains that let her travel with them.

Trafalgar Law.

That name was on the forefront of her mind constantly. It was something that had kept her going when she was at Death's door every time. The day that she found out about him seemed like a blur now, only that name and the due date that marked the end of her life stayed in her memory for the most part. Six months. She was supposed to die in six months. They said that she wouldn't have lasted the year and she had left the village to search for this man without permission. They had warned her, tried to keep her from leaving, but they had all failed. Even Sasuke wasn't able to convince her to stay behind while someone else find this mystery doctor and that she should spend the rest of her days with him. Of course, she hadn't listened. They had told her that she would die out there and then no one would be able to find her when that day came. She would have died in six months, alone.

Sakura had been searching for this Law character for seven years now. She wasn't sure what kept her going at first, perhaps the determination to prove everyone wrong, that she could survive on her own. Perhaps it was the fact that she was too stubborn to die from something as trivial as a poison like this. She did know that the doctor had something to do with it as well. She was anxious to meet him. She didn't know what it was, but she could still remember clearly what her attacker had called him when she gathered information from him. A monster. A freak.

She had many offers by hospitals and doctors to be looked at when she had nearly collapsed in the middle of roads and buildings from the pain that her body experienced. She had denied the help of all of them. It wasn't that she didn't want the poison extracted from her body, it practically tore her apart cell by cell and sent her into a blinding pain where her vision would darken and her body would numb temporarily. No, it wasn't like she enjoyed these episodes of torture. There was just something that her mind had set in the back of her consciousness and it almost seemed personal. No. It was personal. At least for her.

This man was supposed to be a monster and she wanted to be cured by him. It was as simple as that.

The pinkette knew that she was pressing her luck with this. She could die at any moment, she knew that. Yet there was something that kept pressing her forward.

For the first six years, she didn't even know the man's face and everywhere she went, she asked if anybody knew him or seen him. They had all declined, saying that they had never heard of him and it wasn't long at all that she had realized the possibility of him not even existing at all. There was always that chance. After all, why would someone that had the power of being a miracle doctor not be known throughout the world, or even an island or two? Somebody should have known him, even one person, but she found nothing. Even with so many people saying that they didn't know him and many questioning her sanity about whatever topics, she knew that he was alive, that he was real, and that she would find him eventually, even with nothing to go on but his name.

It wasn't until she saw his wanted poster in a tavern where she was sheltering herself from a thunderstorm that true hope started to fill her. She could remember the bartender commenting on the bright smile that had spread across her face when her eyes landed on his name and face. She had taken the poster with her after that, asking for his whereabouts, earning comments from many about her being a bit too small to be a bounty hunter.

She had heard that he was somewhere in the Grand Line while her herself was in the North Blue at that time, shortly having missed him. The information had brought a sort of relief to her, knowing that she had been close to him. At that time, a new vigor had enveloped her being, urging her to continue her search all over again if need be. She searched relentlessly afterward, but had somehow ended up going a different way than him. That didn't deter her from her goal though. She would find him.

A soft smile etched it's way onto her lips, a small blush coating her cheeks as she inhaled the fresh scent of the seawater surrounding all sides of her small rowboat. Luckily, she was nearing an island straight ahead of her. It should only take a few hours to reach it. Hopefully she would be able to gather information about Law's whereabouts, or at least get some food. It had been days since she had last eaten anything and it was wearing on her energy. Of course, she was used to not being able to eat everyday or get the proper nutrients, but that didn't mean that she didn't get hungry like everyone else. Or sick for that matter.

A quiet grumble escaped her stomach as in response to her thoughts, the sound proof of her hunger. Though she supposed the occasional indent in her skin where her bones dipped and bent was also evidence to her bad eating habits. Her body had slimmed out even more than before with her lithe form. With what little food that she was able to gather on the small boat during her travels between islands, she was on the verge of getting sick. She was thankful that her body had a strong immune system against diseases and illnesses, otherwise she might already be dead from the flu or pneumonia.

If she were religious, she could have sworn that an angel was looking out for her during her entire journey and she was getting close to her goal. She could feel it. Goosebumps prickled the exposed skin of her arms and legs that had nothing to do with the chill in the air. Excitement filled her veins at the thought of not only finally reaching land, but also the feeling that she was getting closer and closer to her objective with each passing day. She was reaching something that would get her there. She didn't know how long it would take to find him, but she didn't care. She toyed with the thought of what she would do first once she got her chakra and strength back.

She would definitely return to Konoha and resume her position of ANBU, participate in dangerous missions, and enjoy the flow of that energy coursing through her veins. She missed the way that the earth would crumble under her fists, the way torn skin and bone would stitch back together perfectly under her fingertips, and she especially missed the way she used to be of use to others.

However, more than that, she missed her loved ones. She missed her friends, her family, her husband. Although, even if she did miss them, she didn't feel the overwhelming need to see them again. At least not until she accomplished her goal. It was odd to a degree. She wasn't too surprised to feel that way about her friends and family, but Sasuke. . . She had recently found herself thinking less and less about him as the years passed. She often contemplated if it was because of the distance and the time that they had spent apart from each other or because she had seen countless couples in cities that actually seemed happy. Those couples went on dates, had kissed each other, held hands, embraced, experienced romance.

A frown adorned the female's lips as her gaze lowered down into the water that would soon splash against the wooden boat. Her mind wandered over the relationships that she had witnessed and couldn't help but compare them to her own. She had never went on a date with the Uchiha, had never experienced romance with him before. Even their wedding day and night wasn't as spectacular and breathtaking as some of the scenes she had witnessed between two lovers.

When thinking about their relationship and how their feelings were supposed to be mutual, a question would occasionally pop up into her mind. Did Sasuke even know her? He spent most of his life obsessing over his revenge, what little time they had spent with each other when they were kids, she had put on an act in order to try to win his affections. Granted that was her fault, her facade hadn't stopped Ino or Kakashi from seeing through it and figuring out her true self.

Perhaps there was a time where he knew a little about her, when they were genin, but times had changed. She grew older and he had missed those years where she had matured into a young woman. He had left the village twice and finally came back to the village, proposing to her as if some sort of love for her had grown inside of his heart during his 'journey of redemption'. A love that wasn't grounded by any solid feelings.

Sure, she had been loyal to him since they were children and she was sure that he appreciated that loyalty, something constant in his chaotic life, but maybe that's all it was. Appreciation. After all, in order for there to be love, he would have to have known all of her faults. All of them and none of which she had shared with him. He either didn't care beforehand or they just didn't have the time to sit down for a long discussion about themselves.

They weren't even married but for a few months and then she had left the village on her journey. They hadn't spoken since and the lack of information of how he was doing waned on her consciousness for the first few years. She had also come to accept the fact that it would have been possible that he only wanted her to bear his child, with her being a young, healthy female at the time and the closest thing to having willingly accepted him. Well, other than Karin or perhaps Ino. It was highly possible that he had pushed their marriage to the side and had a child with the redhead. She wouldn't normally question the Uchiha's loyalty, but she doubted that he loved her to begin with and that he had waited this long without securing the future of his clan.

That notion left a bad taste in her mouth and yet, she couldn't really blame him for wanting to feel secure. She couldn't imagine the inner-struggle that he went through knowing that he was last Uchiha after the war was over. The fate of the Uchiha had rested on his shoulders entirely and there was no telling how long a shinobi would live, so she wouldn't be surprised if she were to see a small miniature Sasuke running around once she got back. Although if it was anything like the older male, it wouldn't run around too much, just brood and ignore everyone while giving off that 'holier than thou' vibe.

A coy smile found it's way onto her lips at that. Honestly, the situation should have bothered her more, but she had been preparing herself for a divorce once she got back for some time now. She didn't have much time to dwell on the topic however, when she spotted dark clouds quickly rolling in. A sigh left her lips again as she stared up at the sky and she could feel the waves slowly getting rougher underneath her feet. It seemed that another test of survival would be thrown upon her, but she wouldn't be killed so easily. Although, she supposed that her boat was incredibly small compared to what was needed on this sea. She could easily be capsized. She supposed that she would just have to swim if that happened. Swim to find a barrel or something.

It wasn't long at all until the wind had picked up, whipping her hair back and forth behind her and across her face as she sat crouched down to the wood, her small hands gripping the railings on either side of her. Rain fell down hard around her and it was easy to compare the harsh liquid with daggers as they slid down her skin. With only a dingy, beige dress that had thin sleeves that covered only her shoulders, most of her body was left victim to the weather.

Lightning struck down near her, the electricity spreading throughout the water in different directions and barely missing the wooden structure that held her. The ocean water splashed outward from the impact and though the lightning had missed her, the water found it's way to her pale body and stung into her skin while the small boat was rocked back and forth harshly from the waves.

Feminine knuckles were turning white from the grip that she had on the wood and the pinkette was sure that if she had even a fraction of her former strength, the force that she was clutching the railings would have caused it to snap and break instantly. Her bare feet were pale and bruised, suffering from her long journey the most and they were being punished further by the ice-cold water that landed in the boat.

Sakura gritted her teeth and tried to open one of her jade eyes, which were both previously shut tightly from the rain. With one eye barely open, she tried to focus on anything in front of her. All she could see was the dark sky surrounding, seemingly blending in with the vast ocean around her. Waves threw themselves over one another as if they were using each other to somehow reach the heavens above them and her boat was as defenseless as if it were an ant waiting to be stomped on by an elephant.

It only took one large wave to crash beside her and the current threw the boat over with her still clutching onto the sides. Sakura didn't scream as the boat tipped over, pulling her with it. Even if she had allowed herself to let such a noise escape her, it would have instantly died down the moment her body collided with the ocean water.

Sakura clenched her eyes completely shut for a moment, the sudden impact sending jolts to her body as if she were being electrified. Pain was the aspect of her body at that moment and she found it hard to move as the strong currents began to pull her downward toward the bottom of the ocean, no doubt trying to claim yet another life as it had done to so many others that were foolish enough to travel such a treacherous sea. However, the pinkette wasn't someone who could be taken down so easily.

Jade eyes snapped open and her teeth gritted as she forced herself to face in the direction that her instincts were telling her was up. She was still being pulled down and her breath was running short, having most of it knocked out of her upon the impact with the water. Raw determination not to die yet, she summoned what little strength she had and began to kick the water. Her body rotated until she was fully facing toward the surface and the former kunoichi did all she could to swim with all of her might.

She was determined to make it back up to the surface, to get fresh air into her lungs that would no doubt be burning in a few moments, and to find something that she could use as a floatation device. She wasn't going to die. Not yet. She had to find Law. She had to be cured by him so she could regain her status as a shinobi of Konoha. Sakura had to be cured by this so called 'monster' before she even thought about dying.

The pinkette was sure that she was would have made it to the top without incident, until she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Normally, she wouldn't have bothered but something compelled her to turn her head and look. Stopping in her tracks, her jade eyes landed on a dark figure falling downward, having just fallen in the water itself. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to focus on the object, her mind quickly reeling, trying to decipher what it was before she ran out of oxygen completely.

Sakura let out a grunting noise and turned her direction and headed for the mysterious object. She still had no idea what it was, the water too dark to tell anything really and she was fully aware that what she was doing wasn't the brightest thing to do. However, something in her body urged her to swim toward it. It was an instinct that she had developed during her years as a shinobi and she was grateful that that hadn't been taken from her as well.

Her legs kicked fiercely behind her, her arms by her side, and her head set forward with a determined expression. Her lungs burned and ached for air while goosebumps prickled at her body, the freezing temperature of the water surrounding her coaxing her to stay still and to leave her fate in it's suffocating clutches. Jade eyes were struggling to stay open during her journey to the mysterious object. She was having trouble trying to stay conscious with what little energy she had left, not that she had much to begin with. Her body was begging her to go back up to the surface, to lay down on something, and to rest. Eating something would have been nice too, but she pushed those thoughts aside.

It wasn't until she was a few yards away that she began to make out distinct features of the object. An arm, a leg, a torso, and she knew that her feeling had been right when she realized that it was a person. She wasn't sure if he was alive or not, but that didn't stop her from swimming toward him even faster than before. She didn't have time to check either as she reached his side and grabbed his wrist, more concerned with grabbing him before she let him slip out of her reach. His eyes were closed, but she could feel the soft pulsing of a heartbeat on the underside of his wrist with her thumb, answering the previous question in her mind. She reached forward with her other arm and grasped the front of his shirt. Pulling him toward her, she wrapped her arm tightly around his petite form and held onto the side of his shirt while her other arm stayed by her own side, prepared to aid her on her journey to the surface.

Sakura opened her mouth in protest at the lack of oxygen in her body, her mind slowly losing in a battle to stay awake. Bubbles escaped her mouth and she did all she could not to breathe in the water at an attempt to get air. Blinking back tears, the pinkette set her destination upward once again and pushed against the water while ignoring the aching of her body. Again, she convinced herself that she wouldn't lose out to this storm, to this ocean, and now it wasn't just her life that hung in the balance. She wasn't sure where this man came from or who he was, but that didn't matter. It also didn't matter that she couldn't use chakra to heal anymore. She was still a medic, it was still in her nature to help anyone she could.

It was still her duty even if her status was taken from her.

The surface had never seemed so far away before and her eyesight was starting to darken. Her legs slowed down to a stop and her arm loosened, allowing the body that had been pressed against her tightly to slump over and threaten to slip from her grasp. She held fast onto his shirt however, determined not to let go of his unconscious form, and she wrapped her other arm around him tightly.

It was then that she noticed a figure swimming toward them through the darkness. Jade eyes squinted into slits, desperate to see what was getting close to her and though her body would normally spark up in high alert, it seemed to trust this figure. She assumed it was because there was the suspicion that it was a comrade of the man in her arms.

He stopped in front of her with his eyebrows furrowed and seemed to regard her for a split moment before he wrapped his arms around them and pulled them to his chest. The man began to swim up to the surface and Sakura welcomed the warmth that his body resonated. It was soothing and slowly pulled her from the freezing abyss that her own body was succumbing to. It was welcoming and the pinkette could vaguely wonder if she would feel this same warmth and reassurance once she found who she was looking for. Would Law be this warm?

A weak smile formed on her lips before her world went black and her last thought was 'What are you thinking, Sakura?'

Please review what you think. I appreciate any reviews that I can get, especially since this isn't that popular of a couple. While on that note, if any of you have wanted to write this obviously crack pairing, I urge you to. I would love to read it :)


	3. An Unsolved Resolve

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or One Piece nor do I make any money from my writings.

Chapter Two: An Unsolved Resolve

 _Laughter echoed throughout the small tavern, the guffawing noises directed to the scowling female standing in front of the bar. Her jade eyes were narrowed down at the ground, her teeth gritted, her pink eyebrows furrowed, and her fists clenched tightly down by her sides. If she were able, she would knock the smug grins off of everyone in this entire building. They were all laughing at her. What the hell was so funny about this?_

" _A miracle doctor? Who are kidding, missy?" the bartender laughed, causing her scowl to deepen and her eyebrow to twitch in anger. "Ain't nothin' like that exist! Go back home."_

" _Yeah!" another man shouted. "Get out of that fantasy world of yours!"_

 _Sakura felt rage course through her body as the laughing and mocking continued. All she wanted to know was if they knew the man that she was looking for or if they had heard of somebody with his description. It was an innocent enough question. They didn't have to laugh at her._

" _Don't feel too bad though! You're going to die just like the rest of us!"_

 _The comment brought on another onslaught of laughter and the pinkette's fists trembled, eager to destroy something, anything. She just wanted to get rid of the overwhelming feeling of being squashed like an insect. These people were telling her that her efforts were futile, that this doctor didn't exist, and that she was supposedly living in some sort of fantasy world, clinging onto some hope that there was an angel out there that would heal her of her ailment._

 _Sakura supposed it was true in a way. She was searching for a man that she had no proof existed and could supposedly heal anything, as ludicrous as it sounded. The world was larger than she could have ever imagined and there was very little chance that she would be able to meet him. She had managed to live longer than the best medics of Konoha had predicted, but that didn't change the fact that she was only human. How far would her stubbornness be able to take her? How long could she live before she practically became even more of a moving corpse? How many life or death situations could she be in before she lost in this battle and something or someone finally claimed her last breath?_

 _There were so many questions, so many possibilities, and such little time. She was only looking for one man, but it felt like she was fighting against the entire world. The world was saying that she was crazy, that she would die, and that this man wasn't real. However, despite the laughter and ridicule that found it's way into her ears almost every time she brought him up, she knew that he was real. It was a burning feeling deep in her gut and it caused her heart to flutter. Her body would heat up in anger at the people denying his existence, rather than being angry that they were mocking her. True, it pissed her off that she was being laughed at, but it was worse when they told her that Law wasn't real._

 _She knew for a fact that he was and she would find him. It was only a matter of time and she would hold out until she did. It was more than a matter of pride now. She was going to prove these people wrong. She wasn't crazy. She believed that he was alive somewhere. Somewhere._

 _Sakura turned around and began to run toward the doors that led to the outside of the tavern, her childish body bumping into the larger forms of the adults on the way. She had enough of their laughter and ridicule. She pushed herself past them, eager to leave, but the loud noises kept following after her. She ran through the doors and her eyes were clenched closed without her knowledge. At least they were until she collided with the legs of someone and she collapsed backward on the ground, landing on her hands and backside, unaware that the impact had caused her shinobi headband to fall loosely from her hair and onto the ground beside her._

 _The pinkette wasn't in the mood to see another person at the moment, having had her fill of humiliation for the moment. Instead of looking up to meet the eyes of the person that she ran into, she mumbled a soft apology before running around him. Her bangs had covered most of her solemn and distressed face, so wasn't like she had seen much of the person anyway, but she could vaguely make out a pair of light blue pants with spots that resembled animal prints. Her heart had skipped a beat when the contact happened, but she had chalked it up to the fact that she was angry and upset._

 _Her faith hadn't wavered._

~SCENE CHANGE~

The sounds of soft talking was what she awoke to, differing greatly from the loud echoing of laughter that was previously in her mind from her dream. It was a welcomed change and though she wanted to succumb back to the sleep that beckoned her, she forced her mind to become more alert.

"Do you think she'll wake up soon?" a voice asked, holding concern in it's tone, but she could hear the restlessness in it as well. A bit high pitched, but definitely a male. Possibly in his late teens.

The memories of what happened before slowly made themselves known in her aching head. She must have been taken in by the crew of those two men. She didn't sense any malice or danger in the air so she continued to let her body relax into the soft mattress underneath her. Her breathing was even as she took in the different scents in the room. She couldn't make out how many people were in the room, but she could feel three presences right beside her. She could also make out the pillow underneath her head and the cover draped over her body, along with a wet rag pressed to her forehead.

"I already gave her some medicine to reduce her fever. She's suffering from exhaustion mostly. She won't wake up for awhile and when she does, she'll need something to help recover her energy." another voice replied. This one was soft and even more high pitched than the last, someone smaller, and yet it held reassurance and a knowledge that was easily covered up by innocence. It was obvious that he was a doctor. Perhaps hope and relief should have filled her at the chance that she finally met the doctor that she was looking for. However, deep down, she knew that it wouldn't have been so easy, it was a nagging feeling that she got and it was always right.

"Luffy, why don't go out on deck with Usopp and find something to do? It will be another hour before we reach land." a woman said, a confidence and yet gentleness in her voice. Someone that was used to giving out orders.

"Alright." the one called Luffy replied, his tone holding a renowned excitement that wasn't there previously. It wasn't a moment later that she could hear footsteps leaving the room, getting farther and farther away.

"Did you find anything else wrong with her, Tony?" another female asked, smooth and soft. This one was calmer and more collected than the previous one, extremely kind and soothing. If Sakura had to guess, she held a high position. She sounded intelligent and reserved.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, other than she's lacking the proper vitamins and nutrients her body needs."

Well, that confirmed her suspicion. This doctor's name was Tony. It wasn't who she was looking for. No matter. She would just have to keep looking. Sakura wasn't surprised that he wasn't able to find anything else wrong with her. She hadn't allowed any other doctor to take a look at her since her journey began, but she figured that they wouldn't have been able to find out what was wrong with her without a thorough blood examination. She didn't have any puncture wounds on her body to indicate anything and her skin wasn't discolored from any poison, just from the fact that she wasn't exactly healthy. Besides, normal humans didn't live for years after being poisoned, so her case was highly unusual.

The thought almost made her crack an amused smile, if it weren't so preposterous and depressing. Could she even be considered human anymore? She supposed at this point, she was more like a walking dead person, barely hanging onto humanity.

What was it that kept her going anyhow?

Was her pride as a shinobi really that important to her? She had endured pain that made her want to tear off her skin and rip her eyes out. She had endured ridicule and humiliation everywhere she went and often questioned her sanity. Who the hell spent seven years of their life chasing after somebody, especially when six of those years, she didn't even know what he looked like? Seven years of borrowed time. Seven years that might be wasted once she did finally meet him. Wasted if he declined to help her.

The thought usually found it's way in her mind. She couldn't make the man heal her if he didn't want to and when that time came, she would just have to accept it. She knew that once he made that choice, she would die right then, most likely. Sakura had no idea how vast the world really was and how beautiful, or terrifying, it could be. Her little village was nothing compared to some of the places that she had been and would often find herself getting quite comfortable in some places. Although, she never allowed herself to stay for longer than necessary. She still searched for Law and despite the constant pain and struggle to survive, she enjoyed every moment of it. Well, most of it. . .

The fact that she endured every moment of the hardships showed that she was still a shinobi at heart, that she still had pride to hold onto. The fact that she enjoyed all of the beautiful sights and the fear of losing her life showed that she was still alive. Her life had become much more precious to her during these years. The pinkette was doing all of this on her own, without orders and without permission. This was her journey to find someone that could help free her of not only the poison in her veins, but also of some of the guilt and resentment that she held for herself.

Sakura supposed that was it. She wasn't there for Naruto when growing up, so she wanted to see if this man was any similar to the way that Naruto used to be. Perhaps it was arrogant of her to think this way, but maybe if she waited out long enough to meet him, ask him to cure her, she would be giving him a purpose. It didn't seem justified to be doing this for someone else though. She was sure that she was being selfish. Or perhaps she just wanted to find someone she didn't know and yet was so similar to her. Whatever her reasoning was, she knew that she wanted him to cure her and she was enjoying the journey toward her goal overall.

A small smile found it's way onto her lips then, grateful that she had somehow managed to survive another life threatening situation and the man that had saved her was somewhere near her. She would have to properly thank him once she figured out who it was.

"Ah, she's smiling. I guess it's safe to say that she's awake now."

"That was quicker than I expected." the young doctor said, surprise evident in his voice, "She shouldn't wake up for another few hours, at least."

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows before slowly, carefully, opening her jade eyes, only for them to land on a blurry object right beside her. It took a few moments for her vision to clear and she blinked a few times, her gaze slowly adjusting to the bright light of the room she was in.

"How are you feeling?" the object next to her spoke, using the same voice as the doctor she had heard moments ago.

The pinkette blinked again slowly as the figure cleared completely and she was met with the sight of a small reindeer sitting on a stool next to her. He had an expression of concentration and concern written across his furry features. His round eyes were fixated on her, his brow furrowed, and his body leaning over a bit to inspect her. Jade eyes took in the creature calmly and Sakura didn't need to be told to figure out that this was the doctor that had been looking after her.

Sakura's smile deepened from appreciation of life to an absolute adoration of the animal sitting next to her. Knowledge was behind his eyes and he looked as innocent as he had sounded. What caught her attention the most though was the blue nose that sat atop his snout. It was adorable. "Aren't you just the cutest thing I've seen in my life?" she asked, her voice soft and weak from the lack of not having anything to drink in awhile and having been sleeping for who knew how long.

The little doctor seemed surprised at first by her statement and with what he did next, it was Sakura's turn to be surprised. He turned his head to the side while smiling bashfully, his eyes closed, a blush on his cheeks, a hoof to his mouth, and his arm held out toward her that seemed to move in waves. "Calling me cute doesn't make me happy or anything, you stupid jerk."

The pinkette blinked at him curiously for a moment before her expression softened in understanding and adoration. After another moment, the reindeer turned his attention back to her health and with a serious expression, he asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Better. Not dead or anything." Sakura replied and the reindeer let out a sigh of relief.

"I was honestly surprised when Zoro brought up a child along with our idiotic captain."

Sakura took that time to look at the one that had spoken and around the room. The female had short orange hair, brown eyes, and she had her arms crossed over her chest. She wore a perplexed expression with one eyebrow furrowed and the other arched. A tank top, short skirt, and boots. She was standing off to the side and in between them sat another female on a stool next to her bed. This one had long blue hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, two bangs hanging down on each side of her face. Grey eyes and she wore a tank-top as well with a pair of pants and boots.

The pinkette looked around the room and noticed that it was a bedroom. "Do you remember anything?" the blue haired female asked.

Sakura landed her gaze on the female and didn't fail to notice her tense a bit under her jade eyes. The pinkette smiled softly and with a gentle tone, she said, "Everything."

They seemed taken aback a bit by her, though she wasn't sure why. Then again, she supposed it wasn't the first time that she had that effect on a crew when she first met them. She could remember the reaction one male had to her about two years ago. He seemed like a kind, young man, though shy and a bit withdrawn. She had been overall accepted by the large crew, especially by the captain, asking her if she would like to join his crew and become his daughter. The young man had done his best to avoid her at first and by total accident later on, they had been locked into the storage room by themselves. Though she used the word 'accident' loosely and the female was sure that it was the work of one of the older crew members.

That had been an interesting five hours and the young man had ended up telling her that she made him nervous, as if her eyes could see through his soul. The reference had reminded her of the Byakugan at the time and had made her laugh. He had taken offense and a short argument had erupted between them before he had relented and sulked quietly to himself, doing his best to ignore her. She hadn't allowed it, of course, and had forced him to talk to her. With much reluctance on his part, he eventually opened up to her afterward and they became close friends.

Sakura had to leave after a few months however, after they had kindly brought her over into the peaceful half of the Grand Line. She had told them of her journey to find Law and with much encouragement from her new friends, she set out on her own once again toward her goal.

Perhaps that's what had this girl tense. That supposed feeling of her looking through their soul. Sakura felt a smirk tug at her lips at the memory of that teenage boy, his freckled face still clear in her mind, along with that unique personality and grin of his.

"What's your name, by the way?" the redhead asked curiously.

"Sakura." the pinkette replied calmly.

The redhead smiled in return and put her hand to her chest in introduction. "I'm Nami." She then gestured to the female beside her, "This is Vivi.", and then pointed to the reindeer. "And this is our doctor, Chopper."

Sakura nodded her head, committing the names down to memory. It would seem that she would be stuck with them for awhile, at least until they reached land. "Its a pleasure to meet you all."

The little doctor seemed satisfied for the moment as he got off of his seat and began to make his way to the other side of the room. The pinkette kept her eyes on him in interest while he made his way up some steps and out of the room.

"What were you doing out there anyway? Don't tell me you were traveling by yourself?" Vivi asked, a frown creasing her features.

Sakura looked up at her with a sheepish smile. "Uh, yeah."

Surprise flashed over their feminine faces, evidently shocked that a 'child' was sailing these waters by herself. Sakura couldn't blame them though. She sometimes wondered if she had lost her mind, but she couldn't be tied down to one crew and travel with them. She needed her freedom if she was going to catch what she was chasing after and it was the same with this new crew. She would thank the man that saved her and the little doctor, then leave.

"What could you possibly be trying to accomplish, sailing the Grand Line by yourself?" the blue haired female asked, the shock she felt being expressed through her tone.

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows and tried to sit up, only for her to feel light-headed once she accomplished the movement. She leaned forward a bit, the rag that was previously on her forehead fell to her lap, and she placed her hand over where it had been. Her eyes were closed and she let out a low groan.

"Whoa there." Nami said softly, appearing by her side and placing her hand on her shoulder to steady the pinkette. "Take it easy, alright."

"I was. . ." Sakura began, her head spinning around in circles and she tried her best not to vomit. That wouldn't be a good way to show her appreciation for helping her. Since they went out of their way to let her stay on their ship, she supposed it wouldn't do any harm to tell them the reason why she was traveling. The former kunoichi looked up slightly, her gaze landing on the cover as sweat ran down the side of her face. "I'm searching for someone."

"Who?" Nami asked curiously. Who could be so important that it would cause such a small child to go out to see by herself and risk her life like that?

Sakura turned her attention toward the redhead and a gentle smile crossed her petite features. "Someone who can give me back my life."

The two female teenagers stared at her for a few moments, not sure how to react to her answer. Her expression was so serene, so gentle. They could both feel it. The small child on the bed was not what she appeared to be. Sakura knew that they could tell something was off about her, it was obvious by the way they stared at her, as if contemplating something.

The pinkette knew that if someone were to take a closer look at her, they could tell that she wasn't normal. Her eyes held too much wisdom, were too hard and deep to hold a childish innocence, were too sharp and observing to possess a young imagination. If they were the ones that had changed her out of her ragged dress into this new, light pink one, they would have seen the numerous of scars that marred her small body. Her fingertips, her palm, her feet, her back, even her neck wasn't unblemished from the hardships of life. She was far too torn and mature to be a normal child and she knew that they could sense that. They could see it in her eyes and hear it in her voice.

"What do you mean?" Vivi asked, breaking the silence in the room that was starting to grow uncomfortable.

Sakura turned her attention to in front of her, her hands placed calmly on her lap while they stood and sat beside her, patiently waiting for her answer. "I'm not sure if I should tell you or not. Its more of a matter of me regaining my pride or not." Jade eyes lowered down to her hands and upturned one so she could glance over the thin scars on her palm, proof that she had held her beloved blades and messed up with them. "If I can find this man and accomplish my goal, then I can go back home with my honor restored."

"Well, what does he look like? Maybe we can help you find him."

The pinkette shook her head briefly before grimacing in pain at the movement. Confusion at why that had hurt crossed her mind, but she pushed it aside for the moment. She frowned downward and replied, "No, that's alright. I don't want to be tied down to one crew for too long."

Nami looked over her for a moment before she shrugged, "Well, I'm sure you have your reasons, but the offer still stands. Its way too dangerous for a child to wander around by herself like that."

"I appreciate it, along with everything that you have done for me thus far."

There was a knock at the door before the hatch to the room was opened. Sakura kept her gaze forward, an unsettling feeling etching it's way up her spine. She recalled the moments of what happened since before that storm began. Her head usually hurt from the poison in her veins, along with every other organ and cell, but something was off. She was mostly used to the pain that it caused her, but something was different and the fact that she didn't know what it was unsettled her.

"So this is the young lady that saved our captain?"

Sakura was brought out of her thoughts when the smell of food entered her nostrils rather than the new presence in the room. The pinkette turned her head and looked to see a blonde making his way down the steps with a tray of food in his hands. Pink eyebrows furrowed and she had to look away to keep from salivating. It had been days since she had eaten anything. Her stomach didn't even growl anymore. She was sure that it had gotten fed up with her by that point and had eaten itself long ago.

"This is Sakura." Nami smiled and the male nodded in acknowledgment before making his way to her completely.

He placed the tray on the bed over her legs and she looked at it with slightly widened eyes. "There you are. Chopper told me that you won't be able to eat any solids for awhile so I prepared this for you."

Sakura glanced over the bowl of stew and the glass of water that sat next to it. She was never any good at cooking, but she could tell that the dish was delicately prepared. If the scent was anything to go by, she could tell that she would melt after the first spoonful in her mouth. Turning her attention to the male beside her, she regarded him carefully. His blonde hair stopped at his cheeks and was parted to cover his left eye, exposing the right and his curly eyebrow. He had a cigarette in his mouth that was smiling softly down at her as he stood in a black suit. She could tell that he was a confident man by his stance, his hands now in his pants' pockets now that they were free.

"Thank you." the female replied in gratitude.

The male nodded his head and said, "Sure thing. Eat it while its hot. I'm Sanji, the cook on this ship. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

Sakura felt a smile form on her lips at his kindness. "I will, I appreciate it."

He nodded again and then turned his attention to the two females, an affectionate smile on his lips. "Ladies, dinner will be done in a few minutes."

They smiled at him in return while Sakura picked up the glass of water and pressed it to her lips, slowly letting the liquid slip into her mouth and down her throat. She did her best to suppress a moan as the cool beverage soothed her dry throat and it seemed she was successful since nobody turned their attention to her.

"Thank you, Sanji-kun. We'll be up their shortly." Nami replied.

"Please, take your time." the male swooned before shortly making his way out of the room, but only after stating that he would be back for her dishes after awhile.

Sakura glanced over at the redhead, finding her smirking coyly at her and the pinkette lowered the half empty glass of water down to the tray. Jade blinked at brown, expecting her to say something and she wasn't disappointed.

"You should really reconsider our proposition. It would be a lot more fun searching for this man with us than by yourself."

"Not too mention, a lot safer." Vivi added.

The pinkette glanced between the two of them before she smiled softly, feeling welcomed among the ones that she had met. The two females stood up before turning toward the door and they waved before heading up the stairs and leaving the room. "Chopper should be in here later to check on you." Nami told her before she left the room, shutting the hatch door behind her.

Sakura looked down at the bowl of stew, grateful that her company was gone. At least that way, she wouldn't have to worry too much about manners since she was sure that her hunger would get the better of her and make her look like a starved beast while she ate.

~SCENE CHANGE~

Arms were folded behind a pink head as jade eyes stared up at the ceiling above her. Her legs were bent so that her knees were up in the air and one calf was folded across a knee. Sakura laid on her back, the sounds of the crew above her, in what she assumed was the kitchen, shouting at each other. Rather, at a specific crew member, from what she could gather. Something about taking all of the meat.

She listened to their ramblings halfheartedly and though Nami's proposition was still clear in her mind, she didn't take it to heart. She could tell that the crew was grateful for whatever service she had done for their captain, but she had no intention of staying with them. She had something that needed to be done, sooner rather than later. She didn't mention any details to her previous visitors, not having seen any point in it. The female didn't have time to sit around and have fun while looking for Law.

Law. . .

She had to find him quickly or she would die.

After she had finished eating and with the fear of capsizing out of the way, she had time to sit down and meditate for the first time in months. It was a refreshing feeling. At least it was until she came across a disturbing revelation, one that had her threatening to bring her food back up. How she hadn't noticed it sooner, she didn't know, but she was more determined than ever to find this doctor.

Only. . . she couldn't remember his face. . .

Sakura gritted her teeth in anger and aggravation. The ex-shinobi could remember grabbing his wanted poster from the tavern, conserving every last detail into her memory, and keeping his picture if she ever needed reminding of his features. She had lost that picture however when she was capsized before she was brought onto this ship. She didn't have any pockets or shoes to keep it in so she just held onto it wherever she went. How could she forget something like that?! Things like that didn't just happen. There was a reason behind it and she knew what it was.

The poison was affecting her body even more so now than ever. It was taking her memory away from her. She wasn't sure what else she had forgotten, but it couldn't have been anything that happened more than a year ago. It seemed to be working backwards for some odd reason or maybe it just took out random memories during whatever point in her life. She just hoped that it wouldn't cause her to forget more recent events and how she ended up on this ship or the name of the man that she was searching for. . .

Sakura turned onto her side toward the wall beside her, lowered her legs, and placed one arm down in front of her while the other stayed under her head as a sort of cushion, even though she had the pillow underneath her as well. She scowled at the wood beside her, her hand trembling slightly from the frustration and anxiety that raked her body. What the hell else could go wrong? Although, she supposed that if she were to give up on her quest for Law, she could get the little doctor upstairs to heal her. But then what would the last seven years have been for? She couldn't bring herself to do it for more than one reason.

An agitated sigh left her lips as she closed her eyes. This whole situation was giving her a headache and she had no one to blame but herself. Without much protest, she allowed sleep to take over her body.

~SCENE CHANGE~

 _Pain racked it's way through small limbs, the cracking echoing throughout the room and resonating within her bones. She wouldn't scream. She wouldn't. Teeth bit into her lower lip harshly, the blood rolling down the pink flesh and over a pale chin. Tears ignored her protests and rained down from her bloodshot eyes and over flushed cheeks, blending in with the dirt and blood that had dried there weeks before. She covered her ears with her small hands as her eyes stared ahead of her._

 _She had lost track of her time here. She had lost track of everything. Her body ached and it trembled fiercely, having lost almost all feeling. She was numb. She was cold. She was scared. She didn't know what to do or how to escape from this awful place. What the hell had she gotten herself into?_

 _Her eyes were glazed over as her body was kicked to the ground and she landed on her side, the blood on the ground splashing upward as her body collided with the crimson puddle. Goosebumps raided her body as the liquid soaked into her clothes, hair, and skin._

 _The female could hear screams coming from others in different rooms surrounding her own. No. Her cell. Her prison. Her hell. The sounds of the cracking whips were still loud and clear and she knew that some others were receiving worse treatment than her, though not many and the thought didn't comfort her._

 _The man above her tsked with a disapproving grunt. "You're nothing but a worthless tramp. I don't see why the Young Master keeps you around."_

 _She furrowed her eyebrows and let a few more quiet tears escape her eyes at the harsh words. "Personally, I think that hair of yours is creepy as hell and you don't even whimper. You're like some kind of monster."_

 _Monster._

" _You're a freak."_

 _A freak?_

" _Leave the pink thing alone already. We've got better things to do with our time."_

 _Time?_

 _The man in her cell let out an amused laugh before saying, "You're right."_

 _The sound of footsteps could be heard growing farther away, though the sound of the door to her cell opening and closing was lost on her. She just wanted them to leave her alone. She just wanted to be out of this hell. She just wanted to go home already. She had to find Law at any cost._

 _The female pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her shins before placing her forehead to her knees. "I'm not a 'thing'." she softly sobbed._

~END OF CHAPTER TWO~

Please review what you think. :)


	4. Quick Changes

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or One Piece nor do I make any money from my writings.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I greatly appreciate them since they let me know that somebody is reading my story and enjoying it.

Kanata Uchiha: Despite having to use Google Translate in order to read your reviews, since I can't read Spanish, I do appreciate your reviews and I hope that you will continue to be a fan of my story. I'll make sure to triple check my spelling and any errors I have in my writing so when you translate. Again, I appreciate you reading and reviewing. I'm glad to have you as a fan.

yaoi-freak2580: Thanks a bunch for the review and to answer your question, I don't plan on Sakura eating a devil fruit in this story. I'm sure it might be tempting at times, but I don't plan on having her lose her ability to swim.

I've decided to bring Law into the picture a lot sooner in the later chapters since there are so many arcs, small and large, in the original One Piece story between Alabasta and the Sabaody Archipelago. Of course, it will still be awhile, but hopefully all of my readers will stick around until then. ;)

Chapter Three: Quick Changes

Sakura woke up with a start, sitting up in the bed in a quick motion and she ignored the protest her head gave her. Quickly scanning the room, her wide eyes landed on the surprised figure next to her. Her heart skipped a beat and her face was heated while she took in the surprised expression of the little doctor.

"You're crying." he said softly and her eyes widened even more in alarm.

Her fingers trembled as she lifted her hand up to her cheek, only for her fingertips to touch a wet trail that was no doubt left behind by her tears. She looked ahead of her and placed her hand over one of her eyes and clenched the cover in her other hand. Sakura gritted her teeth in frustration. Why did everything have to be so complicated? All she wanted was to have her own life back. She wanted to be a shinobi of Konoha again. She didn't want to go through all of this, didn't want to be reminded of the evil side of this world. The pinkette knew that that was wishful thinking though. Even as a shinobi, she had to deal with evil people.

Honestly, it was wearing on her sanity. All of it was. Sakura clenched her eyes shut, not even bothering to try to hide her tears from the furry creature beside her. She let them slide down her cheeks in waves, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes swollen. Soft sobs left her lips and she didn't protest as the doctor's hoof rested on top of her hand reassuringly. It was a kind gesture, even though he didn't understand what was going on and she was grateful for it. He didn't say anything as she let her feelings be shown for the first time in years.

Things had changed so much since she left Konoha, had changed so quickly. She was struggling to keep up with everything. Her past, her situation, her desires. It was suffocating and it threatened to choke the life out her. Yet, there was one thing that she did have a solid grasp on. Him. She had to find him.

It wasn't long until she had stopped crying and the doctor had looked over her to see how she was doing. Her fever had gone down and her life wasn't in danger, but apparently, she was still in no shape to be traveling around as she was still too weak to walk around. He had also told her that they had already passed the small island and she had been asleep for two days now. The news came as a surprise to her. She had missed her chance to get off of this ship just like that and it seemed that she would have to take up Nami's offer for at least a little while.

Chopper had left shortly after that, telling her to lay back down, get some rest, and that he would check on her in a little while to see if she needed anything. Sakura stared up at the ceiling. How could she have slept that long? Now she was stuck with this crew for who knew how long. Closing her eyes, she brought her hands up to her temples and started to massage them with her fingers, applying pressure to calm her headache. It wasn't too bad, though she didn't feel right staying with these people when she had no intention of joining their crew. There was also the fact that they were being so kind to her when they had no reason to be.

Furrowing her eyebrows and looking up at the ceiling in thought, she figured she might as well make the most of it. She couldn't find Law any quicker by rushing on her own and possibly straight to her death as she had done so closely so many times before. Maybe traveling with these people would help her reach her goal. Sakura smiled softly when she recalled the feeling that she had right before the storm. She had felt that something was going to happen, something that would bring her closer to her goal. Perhaps this crew was it.

Maybe. . . Just maybe. . . It wouldn't hurt to let her nightmares rest and to let the beauty of the world back into her life once again. Despite all of her hardships during her journey, she was still grateful to be alive, to be free, and if she could smile along the way to accomplishing her goal, why not take advantage of it? She would be more than willing to fight for this crew.

Sitting up and throwing the covers off her, Sakura got up out of bed, ignoring the orders the small doctor had given her. She felt that she had rested long enough and she figured it was about time that she met the man that she had saved and the one that had saved her. Making her way out of the bedroom, she opened the hatch that led to what looked like a storage or work room. Closing the hatch behind her, she calmly made her way to the door in the front of the room. She stood in front of it, her eyes lowered down at the wood slightly as the sounds of yelling and bickering reached her ears.

The pinkette smiled gently, reminded of her younger days where she would argue with Naruto about the most ridiculous of things. Her eyes facing forward, she decided that perhaps quick changes were needed every once in awhile. She was living on borrowed time, so why not enjoy it more while she searched?

With her mind set and hoping that she wasn't making a mistake, Sakura placed her hand on the door handle and turned it. Pulling it toward her, the door slowly opened and she stepped through the doorway, letting the sunlight reach her skin. One member after another turned to look at her and though she knew that she was receiving some curious stares, she paid no heed to them. Her gaze had already drifted up to the bright, blue sky above them. White clouds floated in the sky and it brought a nostalgic feeling upon her, easily reminding her of home with something that Kakashi had told her long ago.

Rather than making her feel homesick, it reassured her that this was what she was supposed to be doing. She had felt warmth from this group even before setting foot onto their ship. How long had it been since she had been so welcomed amongst anyone? Two years. Since she had left that old man's ship to set out on her journey and it had been even longer before that. She had traveled all around the world, but very few times had she met a group of people like this. She was standing on the deck a few feet away from the door, her eyes still glued to the sky above her and a vibe of calmness escaping her.

"Sakura." Chopper said in disapproval, running up to stand by her side and she looked down at him, though her gentle expression didn't change. He stopped beside her and frowned up at her, "You're supposed to be resting."

Sakura smiled gently and said, "A little exercise won't hurt, will it, doctor?"

The little reindeer furrowed his brow in thought. "Well no, but you don't need to overexert yourself."

"I won't, I promise." the pinkette replied and the doctor seemed satisfied for the moment, but she knew that he would be keeping an eye on her. She felt her heart warm at the little animal, he seemed to take his job seriously and enjoyed every moment of it. She couldn't help but wish that there were more like him out there in the world. Her being a doctor as well, she knew what kind of people that title could bring with it.

The crew members began to gather around them, some of them having seen her for the first time awake. Her jade eyes glanced over all of them, not recognizing three of the males and her smile deepened when she saw that they were returning her expression in their own unique ways. "I'd like to thank all of you for helping me."

"Really, we should be thanking you for helping out our clumsy captain." Sakura looked over at the male that spoke and took in his features. Dark skin, long nose, skinny, and dark, curly hair. She couldn't tell what his specialty was, but he clearly wasn't a main fighter.

"Hey." the male frowned at the long nosed one, crossing his arms across his chest in a defiant pout, and she recognized his voice immediately as one of the first voices that she had heard since arriving on the ship. "Who you calling clumsy, Usopp?"

"Don't start that, you two." Nami frowned at them disapprovingly before letting a sigh pass through her lips.

Sakura continued to glance over the members, looking for the one that had saved her. If she recalled, it was a male that was fairly muscular. That didn't leave much however, seeing as how all of them were on the petite side, other than one. Her eyes landed on Zoro, who stood against the mast with his arms folded over his chest, a soft smirk playing at his lips at the scene the long nose and captain made, bickering at each other.

The pinkette made her voice known to the male for the first time when she calmly asked, "Are you the one that pulled me from the water?"

Zoro's dark eyes landed on her and his expression turned stoic as everyone looked at them as well. He regarded the supposed child carefully for a few moments. Much like Nami and Vivi previously, he could tell that she wasn't what she seemed. He could sense that there was something different about her. She didn't give off any evil intent and though she seemed relatively harmless, there was something underneath that and he could tell that it was dangerous.

Sakura had her answer right away and she was able to see him inspecting her eyes, trying to figure out if she was a threat or not, no doubt. She didn't hold it against him. Bringing her arm over her stomach and leaning forward, she dropped her gaze to the ground and bowed respectfully toward him. "I thank you for saving me. You have my utmost gratitude."

He seemed taken aback slightly by her reaction toward him, not used to having someone bow down to him. The swordsman was sure that nobody had ever done it before. It was strange and he knew that she wasn't a normal child just from that. He closed his eyes and frowned. "Raise your head."

Sakura opened her eyes in slight surprise, unaware that she had closed them to begin with, and listened to his next words, "You don't need to bow down to anyone here." Blinking down at the wood, she let his words sink into her mind and it was then that she realized what she had been doing. Furrowing her pink eyebrows, she couldn't help but feel sick at the old habit that had been drilled into her years ago. The female let out a soft sigh and then straightened her back, lowering her arm down by her side. A gentle and grateful smile formed on her lips as she looked at the green haired man.

"Thank you." The swordsman smirked and the captain grinned, letting out an enthusiastic chuckle. Sakura looked over at the redhead standing next to the cook. "I thought about your proposal and I've reconsidered." Nami felt her smile deepen at her words and then the pinkette turned her attention to the captain grinning at her. "With your permission, I'd like to travel along with this crew in order to accomplish my goal."

"And what exactly is your goal?" Usopp asked curiously, crossing his arms over his chest and an eyebrow arched skeptically.

Yet again, all eyes were on her while she looked down at the ground. "I've been searching for someone for the past seven years to cure a poison from my body." she stated without any hint of hesitation.

There was a silence that filled the air before there was a simultaneous shouting of; "Poison!" and "Seven years!" from various members of the crew.

The pinkette looked up and met the dark eyes of the captain, who appeared to be calm as he listened to her. "I'm sure that this ship's doctor can cure me, but I've already made up my mind for only this man to heal my body. I've already been through hell searching for him and I won't let my efforts be wasted."

Some of the members slumped over upon hearing this, especially Chopper, not exactly thrilled at the fact that his help was being so flatly denied.

Sakura dismissed it however, as she continued calmly, "I don't have much longer to live, but I have a feeling that if I stay with this group, I will reach my goal before this poison can claim my life." The pinkette smiled as she added, "I might have the strength and stamina of a normal child, but I can use a number of blades, create poisons, and am very knowledgeable in the medical field."

"If you have knowledge about that, then why couldn't you cure yourself?" Sanji asked, taking his cigarette out of his mouth and drawing her attention to him. "Or is it personal?"

"I don't have any knowledge of the ingredients or mixture of the poison nor can I gain it." the female replied. It was true in a sense. She couldn't gain it. There were far too many possible ingredients in this world, for her to gather enough knowledge about them, to isolate the ingredients of the poison, find out the mixture ratio, and then gather the proper ingredients to create an antidote, it would have taken up too much time. Time that she wasn't sure that she had back then. She had let fate take control of her life to see if she could find Law. "And I suppose you could say that its personal. At least on my part."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the swordsman asked and she looked over at him, wondering when she would finally be able to get his name.

"I've never actually met him. I only know his name."

Surprise was evident in her voice when Vivi replied, "That's crazy, isn't it? Searching for someone for that long and you don't even know what he looks like."

Sakura let her gaze drop to the ground, remembering that she had known what he looked like, but had forgotten. The thought sat terribly with her and no matter how many times she tried to force herself to remember his face, she couldn't. The only thing she could make out in her foggy, slipping memory were animal like, spotted patterns. "Yeah." she said softly, "I guess it is."

~SCENE CHANGE~

"Zoro-san?"

A low grunting noise was the reply that the female received to let her know that the green haired man had acknowledged her presence. Jade eyes watched the movements he made as he stood on the deck at the very back of the ship, a large weight in his hands. He was swinging it downward and then lifting it back up into the air before swinging it down again in a sword-like motion. He was repeating the process many times and his body was coated with sweat, his scarred chest glistening from the sunlight that reflected off of the salty liquid.

"I don't suppose you have any spare swords lying around, do you?" she asked curiously. Sakura had noticed that he always kept his swords by his side and it didn't take a genius to figure out that they were precious to him. She doubted that he kept any other swords laying around. She hadn't seen him fight yet, but she could tell that he used all three in battle and had no need to carry around any more. If one broke, he would simply wait until he acquired another. He seemed like he was that type of man.

"Sorry, kid." he replied and Sakura had been expecting that answer. "You plannin' on fighting or something?"

The pinkette frowned slightly, her gaze dropping to the floor while thinking of how little help she'll be to the group that she had decided to travel with. "I'd like to be able to help somehow if things were to become serious."

Zoro continued his training and he didn't miss the depressed tone in her voice when she answered him. "Don't worry about it. You're not expected to fight."

Sakura looked up at the swordsman with her pink eyebrows furrowed and a slight breeze passed by them, blowing the sun dress she had on behind her. It was one of Nami's, a white and blue, spaghetti strap dress with a few flowery designs. It ruffled out at the bottom and it stopped shortly below her knees, though it had ended at the redhead's upper thighs and was considerably tighter on her than the pinkette. Sakura didn't have any curves so it fell loosely around her body and she had silently dreaded the fact that she had lost her womanly curves when she had compared herself to the other two females. Although, she had been called 'cute' by the perverted chef, something that hadn't entirely flattered her.

Her feet were bare against the hard wood of the floorboard, a feeling that she was used to. Her bangs were parted to the left, as that had been her normal hairstyle for the past nine years since the war and her hair was down to the small of her back. Lately, she had let it go untamed, not concerned with it's length, health, or which way her bangs were parted. However, Nami and Vivi had dragged her off to the girls' room after they had made sure that she was completely cleaned during her shower. They had one hell of a time combing all of the knots out of her hair, but it had worked out in the end with a minor headache. She could still see the way that they had stared at the seal on her forehead in curiosity. They had asked what it was and Sakura had replied that at the moment, it was just another mark on her body.

It wouldn't have done any good to explain what it was since she wasn't able to use it. Sometimes she even forgot that she had the Byakugou seal on her forehead, but it was a nice reminder of her past as a shinobi whenever she saw it in the mirror. She would often think of Tsunade when she looked at it more than anything and she couldn't help but wonder how her dear Shishou was doing or if anything happened after her selfish departure of the village. Sakura wasn't worried though. Tsunade was a strong woman. She would be fine.

Sakura brought herself to what the swordsman had told her. Don't worry about it? She's not expected to fight? "That's not very reassuring." she finally replied after moments of silence between the duo.

Zoro smirked softly, "It is what it is."

The pinkette looked up, not realizing that she had looked down at the floor again in thought. That was easy for him to say. He was swinging that huge weight around like it was an everyday thing and she had a feeling it probably was. Let him go without his precious strength and see how he felt afterward. Douche.

An amused smile crossed Sakura's features and she mentally berated herself for comparing herself to the swordsman. She knew that he couldn't be blamed for anything and her getting jealous over his strength was childish. That was what was so amusing about it though. She hadn't felt jealousy in years and something deep inside her urged her to become stronger.

Sakura didn't reply to the male as she continued to stand a few yards away from him, her jade eyes watching the way his muscles contrasted and rippled as he moved the weight back and forth. Sweat continued to drip down his body, running down curves and dips that defined his muscles. The sight sent excitement throughout her body, but not of a sexual kind that most woman would be affected with. The pinkette would admit that she had a bit of a perverted side as well and could admire a man's body when it was due, but those kinds of thoughts didn't find their way into her mind when she watched him.

The former kunoichi was eager to start training again, to have her own body move in similar movements, to feel her heartbeat increase rapidly as sweat rolled down her body. Granted she had trained before since leaving her village, she found out that the poison was even more complex than she had originally thought. Her body was stuck as a child until she could get cured and that meant that her size had remained the same since she was attacked. Not only her size, but also her strength and stamina and no matter how much she trained, it wouldn't increase. That was why she had taken it upon herself to learn how to use multiple weapons and to start meditating more often. On the bright side, her flexibility hadn't suffered and she was able to move into positions that most people weren't capable of.

Sakura lifted her hand up to her right shoulder and her fingertips grazed over the red tattoo there, the proof that she was a member of ANBU. She had gotten it with much difficulty by trying to persuade Kakashi to let her join the ranks of the Black Ops members. He had declined quite a few times, but had relented in the end from her stubbornness. He had told her something about wanting to keep whatever innocence she had left kept safe for as long as possible, as if he felt that it was still his responsibility to protect her, not just as her former teacher, but also as the Sixth Hokage.

Smiling gently at the memories, Sakura brought her hand down to her side and began to walk away, the swordsman noticing her departure, but saying nothing against it. The pinkette made her way to a higher part of the ship and sat down amongst some tangerine trees that she heard Nami had brought along. While sitting down comfortably, she folded her legs in front of her, straightened her back, and laid her arms across her legs, her palms facing upward and her thumbs connected with her middle fingers. Letting out a calm breath, the pinkette began to clear her mind and focused on nothing in particular.

The scent of the tangerines around her had a soothing effect and her previous excitement had died down to a low hum. Her body began to relax and the sounds of laughter didn't deter her from letting her mind calm down. Slowly, her breathing began to shorten and slow down almost to a halt. The female didn't focus on anything around her, though she could sense the presence of everything around her.

The wind was gentle and smooth, caressing her skin as it brushed against her. The ocean water was calm and it split apart for the ship to make it's way through, causing it to hit against the side of the ship softly and send up the scent of the salty water. The wind also helped with that and the scent of the water entered her nose. It was deep, the natural smell overpowering any other around her, taking over her sense of smell so strongly that she began to taste the salt in the air.

The sounds the crew made from down below began to die out and was slowly replaced with the sound of the wind and ocean that they were being carried on by. The sound of the waves flowing and the wind whistling calmed her nerves even more so and she let the natural elements take over her senses.

Images began to flash quickly over her eyes, though she paid no heed to them. She didn't focus on anything, allowing her mind to stay open so she could dwell deeper into her subconscious. Flashes of her past made themselves known multiple times, but she continued on with her meditation without realizing that she was frowning.

Before she was aware of how much time had passed, she found herself opening her eyes to the sounds of yelling and the harsh vibrations of the ship rocking back and forth. The sun burned her eyes when the bright rays settled on her pupils, causing her to close them temporarily. She had been meditating for a few hours at least and the time seemed to have flown by. Standing up, she stretched her arms above her head and a groan vibrated in her throat at the sensation after having sat in one place with absolutely no movement for so long.

Turning her attention toward the back of the ship, she saw a curious sight, one that had one of her pink eyebrows arching. A giant, white cat had come up out of the water, it's torso covered by something that looked like green scales, and a singular, gold, hoop earring attached to it's left ear. It's paw was raised up to it's torso and Sakura had a feeling that it wasn't raised as a type of greeting.

The crew members commented on the creature while Sakura calmly made her way down to the stern, listening in amusement at the shouts about the cat and she couldn't help but chuckle when Luffy shouted to put the boat in reverse when the sea creature began to back away from them. She stopped near the end of the steps and sat down on them, watching Sanji run up the stairs beside her and to the back of the stern, shouting as well.

Jade eyes watched the group in interest, thinking of how lively the crew was, especially the males. She folded her arms over her knees and she didn't even wince when she saw Vivi grab a broom and smack it across the heads of the captain, cook, and swordsman, causing them to fly face first into the railing. Sakura smiled at the scene it had created as the cat retreated back into the water and swam away while the three supposed victims fell to the floor.

Luffy and Sanji had their arms slumped over the railing, Luffy facing out toward the ocean with half of his body draped on the ground while the blonde was facing the blue haired woman. Zoro, on the other hand, was laying on the ground, his arms sprawled out and his swords beside him. He looked more defeated than the rest of them.

"Vivi, what are you doing? I'm hungry." the captain complained, a whine to his voice and his teeth seemingly sharper than before as if to suggest a starved animal.

"Why? Just why? It was food." the cook added on, a similar pouty tone to his captain's.

The blue haired woman wasn't deterred by their depressed demeanor however and with her arms outstretched to the side, she replied strictly, "Because you can't eat a sea-cat. I just can't let you. Sea-cats are sacred animals in Alabasta."

Sakura's body tensed when she heard the name of that Kingdom, her mind instantly setting off images of her past. Was that where they were headed? To Alabasta? Goosebumps rose on the female's skin, a feeling a fear settling into her body. Her eyes were wide and were facing downward. She was told the simple details of what the crew were planning on doing, but she wasn't told the name of the Kingdom that they were headed to. Nami had mentioned that Vivi was a princess trying to get back to her country in order to stop a civil war and that there was a Warlord involved.

Jade eyes slowly moved upward toward the blue haired woman, who currently had her back turned toward her. They were all looking at something in the distance, ships, but the pinkette didn't notice them. She was too in shock to focus on anything else and it had to take everything she had to keep her breathing under control as not to panic. 'Then this woman is. . .' Her mind reeled from the revelation and her hands began to tremble in her lap. She had slept near this woman, had stood beside her, had looked her in the eyes.

Pink eyebrows furrowed and looked down at the floorboards again, sweat beginning to drip down her cheek. She struggled to keep calm, but the thought of one of 'them' around her was beginning to cause her to panic. All she thought of doing at that moment was escaping. It didn't matter where or how, she just wanted to leave. To get away from this woman.

Sakura lowered her head more and she brought her hands up to her head, cupping her ears in a vain attempt to block out the noises in her head. The sounds of screams echoed throughout her mind and the sight of blood crossed her vision. The female gritted her teeth as the feeling of a burning sensation being pierced into the flesh of her back made itself known to her once again. The sound of a loud gunshot rang through her ears, causing her body to flinch without her permission and it was accompanied with the feeling of something piercing her throat.

Suddenly, Sakura found that she couldn't breathe and the good cheer that she had felt moments ago was nowhere to be found in her demeanor. Her entire body was trembling and her mind seemed to shut down for a moment in an attempt to cut out the noises and find a place that gave her comfort. The screaming wouldn't stop though and her body felt like it was on fire. Something was curling around in her throat and she felt as if she were going to vomit any moment.

 _'Think about something else!'_ she would scream at herself during moments like this, where her body was left victim to people that couldn't even be considered human. She wasn't even aware that someone was calling out to her., her mind too wrapped up in her memories. Why was she living? She would ask herself that. What did she have to live for? She would wonder. She had wanted to die so many times, but she had never allowed herself that. One thought would always return to her mind that urged her to live, to endure everything that they threw at her and made her do.

Soft hands were placed on her shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze. It was that caring gesture that broke her out of her thoughts, so different from the torment that she was used to receiving and it reminded her that what she was experiencing now wasn't real. Blinking back tears that she hadn't realized had escaped her eyes, Sakura looked up to see Vivi standing in front of her.

The pinkette furrowed her eyebrows and she couldn't stop herself from leaning back away from her out of silent fear, though the teenaged female continued her grasp on the smaller woman's shoulders. Concern was spread across her features as she looked over her expression and Sakura could feel the eyes of everyone else on her as well. "What's wrong?"

Sakura didn't answer for a moment, not sure how to process the situation she was in. She knew that she was one of them if she was the princess of Alabasta, yet she didn't act or dress like them. Then again, neither did her former 'master'. The pinkette immediately cut those thoughts off before they had time to fully process in her clouded, yet racing, mind as a form of defense. Hot tears slid down her cheeks as jade looked into grey, searching for something that would let her know where she stood, anything solid. She needed to know if it was true.

"You are a Nefatari." the former kunoichi stated and Vivi seemed confused for a moment before another comment was quietly added, "Of the Celestial bloodline."

The blue haired female frowned before she pulled her hands from her shoulders and she noticed the way that the other had visibly relaxed with the lack of contact. Vivi felt a rush of guilt flood her chest. She hadn't thought that anybody remembered her family's lineage and it broke her heart, thinking of what this child had been through.

"I saw the mark on your back." the princess said, guilt and remorse in her voice, causing Sakura's expression to soften a bit while the others looked on in curiosity and confusion. "I didn't want to say anything about it since I didn't want to worry you."

Sakura looked away to the side, her body still trembling and her eyebrows furrowed. Vivi saw the doubt and fear in the pinkette's posture and clenched her fists slightly down by her sides, disgusted at how humans could be so cruel to each other. Perhaps the members behind her didn't know what was going on, but Vivi understood completely. She knew what kind of people the Celestial Dragons were and she was ashamed that her family was apart of them centuries ago.

"I want you to know that I'm not like those people."

Sakura glanced up at the female before her, her eyes skeptical and questioning. She had thought the same for that other one also. She was foolish to believe that he was any different from the man that had first 'purchased' her and then left her for dead. Just because they didn't have their title anymore didn't mean anything.

"I know you don't have any reason to trust me." Vivi continued before she outstretched her hand toward the smaller female, a small, hopeful smile on her lips. "But please give me a chance to show you that I'm not like them."

The pinkette regarded the other for a few moments, debating on what to do. It was true that the princess had shown nothing but kindness to her since she joined them and she didn't share the same disgust with normal people as the other 'godly' nobles did. Turning her head to the side, Sakura continued to think over her proposition. She knew that there were rulers and such that could care for their people, but it was rare from what she had seen. Glancing back up at the taller female standing before her, she saw the same kindness in her eyes as before, concern and genuine care for her showing through.

Frowning, Sakura lifted her hand up to her face and covered her left eye with her palm while lifting up her right hand. She hesitantly grasped Vivi's hand and she was feeling very much like the vulnerable and weak child she looked like. She knew that she had to give the princess a fair chance, to proof herself to her, and that if she didn't then she would be no better than the real monsters that haunted her nightmares. She would be showing prejudice toward someone that had showed her no harm or disrespect, someone that seemed to have at least a shred of humanity.

Sakura was pulled up to her feet by the taller female and the pinkette was surprised when gentle arms wrapped around her petite form, pulling her into another chest. Jade eyes were wide and trembling, threatening to spill tears all over again as her arms hung limply by her sides. It was so warm. The pinkette began to close her eyes and let the feeling seep into her trembling body, into her aching mind and heart. She was so warm and it was quickly melting the barrier she had previously set up between herself and the woman embracing her. A quick change.

Everything was changing so quickly and without being able to stop it, the thought of whether or not Law would be this warm crossed her mind. It was then that she realized that she wasn't broken, she wasn't weak. She just needed what every human needed, something else that had been taken from her. The warmth of another being.

She had only known this crew for a few days and yet the aura they gave off was changing something within in her. It was tearing down the walls she had set up around her heart, one layer after another, but she knew that it would be a long time before she was healed completely. Even though it was a quick change, it was a welcomed one.

~THE END OF CHAPTER THREE!~

Please review what you think.


	5. The Real Journey Begins

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or One Piece nor do I make any money from my writings.

A/N: Thank you guys so much for the reviews. Its been awhile since I last updated and I know its cruel of me to make my fans wait, but here is the next chapter. I hope you guys will like it as well.

I haven't looked over my reviews in awhile, but I remember clearly one that seemed to be concerned about Chopper's position as the ships doctor. I actually never intended Sakura to take over Chopper's job on the crew. Perhaps help him out some and in turn, have him teach her a few things, but that's it. Chopper shall remain as the cute Straw Hat doctor, so please don't worry about that.

I would also like some opinions on how to go about this story. I already have it planned out for the most part, but since you guys are the ones reading it, I would like to know what you think. Would you prefer Sakura be turned back to normal before the Sabaody Arc or after? Who would you like to make an appearance from the Naruto world? Please share your thoughts. :)

Chapter Four: The Real Journey Begins

Sakura held up her left arm in front of her, looking down at the bandage wrapped around her arm with a hidden X-shaped marking underneath it. It was a smart plan to say the least. Simple, yet effective. Lowering her arm, the pinkette set her gaze forward. They were about to dock at Alabasta island and she was eager to finally be able to set foot on land after weeks at constant sea. She also wanted to take a look at any weapons that were available. Problem was. . .

Walking over to the redhead that was standing at the bow of the ship a few yards away from her, Sakura stopped beside her and looked up at her. "Nami-san."

Nami and Vivi, who was standing beside the navigator, turned their attention down to her. Damn, she hated being short.

"What is it?" Nami asked curiously.

The pinkette tilted her head to the side slightly in thought before asking, "Other than supplies, will there be any shopping done?"

The redhead placed her hand on her hip. "I suppose." she answered calmly, "I'm sure Chopper will want to look for some medical books or something. Why? Is there something that you're wanting?"

Sakura nodded her head in confirmation. "I'd like to take a look at some weapons, but I don't have any money."

A sly smile made its way onto the navigator's lips and she held up a hand to her chest and waved it dismissively. "That's alright. Whatever you spend will come out of Zoro's allowance."

"Hey!" the swordsman yelled in response from his leaning position against the railing overhanging the middle deck. He was scowling at the redheaded woman and she turned a challenging scowl at him in return while Sakura had her eyes closed, a sheepish smile on her lips. "You can't just decide that on your own."

Nami closed her eyes and waved him off, "Its not like you use it for anything besides booze anyway."

"I get to decide to use it however I want!"

Sakura faced the irritated green haired man and raised both of her hands in front of her, still smiling sheepishly. "Its alright. I don't need to take your money."

The navigator frowned down at her and arched an eyebrow. "Then how else are you going to pay?"

"I'll figure something out." the pinkette replied, smiling up at the woman with her arms lowered down by her sides.

The redhead nodded while Zoro grumbled to himself. It only took a few more moments before they got ready to land anchor and they each made their way off of the boat individually. Nami had advised them all to stay under control and to Sakura's mild surprise, the captain had ran off before the navigator had even warned them. Sanji had jumped off the ship first with Zoro following him down the ladder.

Sakura made her way to the side of the ship with Chopper beside her, the little creature crawling up onto the railing the same time as her. The doctor jumped off before her as she threw her legs over the side and pushed herself off. The loose sundress she wore flew up to her upper thighs, exposing the majority of her legs on her short trip down. She was expecting to land on the ground, but was surprised when a pair of arms caught her.

"You do realize that there was a ladder there, right?" Zoro asked as he held the small pinkette in his arms, almost cradling her. His expression was stoic but his brows were furrowed in what could have been annoyance.

"Yeah." she replied, causing his eyebrow to twitch and his teeth to grit before he placed her down on the ground carefully. "Thank you." Sakura smiled up at him. His assistance wasn't needed, but she appreciated it nonetheless.

"Just be careful when you're doing stuff like that." he stated before turning his head, causing the pinkette to close her eyes and chuckle under her breath.

The ex-kunoichi turned her attention back up at the ship, listening to Vivi tell them that she wouldn't be able to go into the city with them and that her and Karoo would be easily recognized. Noticing something out of the corner of her eye, Sakura turned her attention to her left and she was met with the sight of an odd looking ship. Purple, with a blue and white striped sail, a large figured '3' at the front, the back sail containing the letters "BW" on it, and on the side was written "Mr3".

Sakura blinked curiously at the boat before asking, "Does anybody else think that that ship is odd?"

"A ship?" Sanji asked and they all looked over at it, each having their own surprised reactions.

"That's Mr. Three's ship." Vivi stated.

The pinkette arched an eyebrow and listened while the other crew members talked about him being on the island. Sighing and closing her eyes, she knew that she had no idea what the hell they were talking about.

~SCENE CHANGE~

"Uh, Usopp-san?"

"What is it, my dear?"

"This plan of yours. Its, uh. . ."

"Ingenious? Please, you don't need to flatt-"

"Stupid."

Sakura could hear an offended gasp come from underneath the blanket that covered the sniper, swordsman, navigator, and princess as they walked through town. The pinkette walked between Sanji and Chopper and she felt a little perturbed that the reindeer was just as tall as she was in his so called 'walk point'. She was sure that he had used that term when referring to it, but nonetheless, he looked like an actual reindeer, wearing pants, a hat, and a backpack. On the other hand, he didn't stand out as much as the other four and everywhere she looked, there were people staring at them, giving them odd looks and she couldn't blame them.

"I told you that it was stupid." Zoro agreed from behind the sniper.

"Well, your opinion doesn't matter to me. None of you can appreciate the genius that I used to come up with this plan."

"If this is your genius showing, then I sure don't want to see you at your worst." Sanji added.

Sakura chuckled as she heard Usopp grumbling underneath the blanket and they quickly made their way to a secluded area behind some buildings. Stopping at some ruins that looked like it was once part of a building, they began to shred off the cloth over them. The pinkette looked around at the desert, standing beside a broken pillar that Sanji decided to lean against. It had been close to nine years since she had last entered a desert. She wondered if her body was still accustomed to the harsh changes in temperature that the sandy landscape provided.

The pinkette figured that Vivi would be heading to the capital or the palace, neither of which were in this city, so it was likely that they would be heading across the desert. An excited smile formed on her lips at the thought of all the creatures that they would run into. Scorpions, spiders, lizards, whatever animal or insect this land had to offer. Which meant poisons and possibly weapons and equipment depending on how large they were.

Although, before she thought about weapons or even crossing the desert, she needed to find a tavern to see if they had any wanted posters up. Her memory loss was troubling her, but if she could find a picture of Law and somehow keep it on her, then she didn't need to worry about that. She could also ask if anyone had seen him, though she knew the response that she would probably get.

Sakura turned her attention back to the group when they began discussing how Sanji and Chopper will get supplies. "I'll go as well."

They turned to look at her, and though a few were surprised, Chopper's face expressed concern. "Are you sure you want to do that in your condition, Sakura?" Vivi asked, her eyebrows furrowed and a worried frown on her lips.

"Its alright. We can handle it." Sanji added on, blowing smoke out of his mouth from his cigarette.

Sakura shook her head from side to side before setting her gaze on the blue haired princess. "There's something that I want to check out in this city. There are wanted posters in the taverns, right?"

"That's right." Vivi nodded.

The pinkette looked over at Sanji and with her brow furrowed in determination, she replied, "I'd like to go there if you don't mind."

"So, you're wanting to find the wanted poster of the man that you're looking for. Is that it?" the blonde cook replied and Sakura nodded her head in affirmation. He smiled before adding, "I don't have a problem with that. Do you, Chopper?"

Jade eyes looked ahead of her to meet the eyes of the doctor and he seemed to contemplate it for a moment. They both knew that she was still recovering and she didn't nearly have as much energy as she should, but the reindeer had a feeling that she was incredibly stubborn. She would do what she wanted, with or without his permission.

"Just don't be afraid to hop on my back if you get tired, okay?"

Sakura smiled gently at him in return. "Aye, aye, doctor." Turning, she began to walk off and she was a few yards away before she turned around and saw them smiling at her. "Let's get going then."

Sanji had his hands in his pockets and he began to calmly walk after her, Chopper following behind him. "After you, miss."

The trip to the town was a short and easy one and Sakura kept her eyes open for any building that would look like a tavern. She ignored the glances that were sent their way, many of them directed at her, no doubt toward her unusual appearance. She supposed that she did make for an odd sight, especially with her lack of footwear. Surprisingly, the heat from the sand that would normally scorch the skin of any tough man didn't bother her. The pinkette tried not to think that it was probably because most of the nerves on the bottom of her feet were already dead, so how could they feel pain?

After a few moments, jade eyes widened in mirth as a sign with a mug on it came into view, hanging over the entrance to a building that had two, swing-in doors at the front. Letting out a soft, joyous laugh, the female began to jog toward the sign, leaving her two crew mates behind to watch her.

"Where is she going?" Chopper asked.

"She must have found what she was looking for." Sanji replied and it only took one glance upward to see that his suspicion was right.

"We should go after her."

"Probably."

Sakura felt the sand move between her toes as she ran toward the tavern, her pink hair flying behind her and a bright smile on her face. She hoped that they had a picture of Law inside. She needed to see what he looked like again. To have that bit of clarity that he did exist and that she wasn't crazy, that she wasn't losing her mind and that she hadn't been chasing after a lie this entire time. Although, she knew that he was real, otherwise certain events in her past wouldn't have taken place. Her having lost her mind? That was definitely a possibility. That would explain her wandering and contradicting thoughts about the male she was chasing after.

Stepping inside the tavern, a few sets of eyes settled on her, but she dismissed them as she glanced around the room quickly. Her jade eyes settled on a large board against the wall to the left of the room. There it was. Sakura began to run toward it, being careful not to knock into anyone's chair or table while she made her way toward it.

"Excuse me." she said when she almost collided with someone and she twisted her body around in between two tightly squeezed chairs, getting through easily with her lithe body. She stopped at the board right as Sanji and Chopper walked into the building.

They looked over the crowded bar before blue eyes settled on her. "There she is." Sanji pointed out and the doctor looked over at her as well, raising his neck up slightly while trying to peer over everyone in the room to get a look at her short form.

The hope had died down in Sakura and was quickly replaced with a deep disappointment. They didn't have his wanted poster. Figures. Letting out a distressed and almost exhausted sigh, the pinkette carefully made her way to the bar. She was relieved when she made it through the crowded tables and appeared unscathed at the bar. Standing in front of it and looking up, she met the eyes of the bartender while he cleaned out a glass mug with a cloth.

"What can I do for you, little lady?"

He was an old man, his back was slouched over and she could see that he wasn't really tall to begin with. His eyes were covered by his thick eyebrows, the hair having gone grey from his old age, but he still had a head full of thick hair, having it slicked back and falling on both sides of his head. The hair from his head seemed to come down and merge with the hair from his beard and mustache before stopping shortly under his collarbone. If he had a mouth under that bush, he was hiding it pretty damn well.

"Is that all the wanted posters you have?" Sakura asked, a slight hope finding it's way back up into her chest, before it came crashing back down into her feet and seeped through the floorboards with his next answer.

"Afraid so."

The female slumped over in silent defeat. "Oh." she mumbled.

"Who was it that you were looking for?"

Sakura's ears picked up at that and she looked back up at the old man while Sanji and Chopper made their way to her with much more difficulty than she had while moving through the room. They reached her side while the pinkette frowned. She wasn't exactly eager to be laughed at again, but if it would help her find him, then she supposed that she would just have to endure it again.

"His name is Trafalgar Law." she replied and the man hummed in thought. She lifted up her hands a bit and added, "He's said to be a devil fruit user and can cure any disease."

"Really?" Chopper asked from by her side, surprise and awe evident in his voice, "That's amazing."

Sakura lowered her arms down by her side and stared at the man, her pink eyebrows furrowed and a frown on her lips. She watched him raise his hand to his beard and began to run his hand up and down it, caressing the light colored strands while he thought. She hoped that he would be able to tell her something, anything.

"So what you're looking for is a miracle doctor." he said after a few moments, his voice calm and collected and in no way mocking her.

A nod was his answer, "That's right."

It was then that a group from beside them that had overheard their conversation began to burst out laughing. Sakura immediately scowled down at the ground and gritted her teeth, her fists clenched tightly by her sides. Chopper and Sanji looked back at them, the doctor showing surprise at the sudden noise and the cook looking at them with his brow slightly narrowed, clearly not amused.

A group of about seven men sat at the table, all were incredibly muscular with tattoos all of their bodies. Sakura could tell what kind of group they were without having to look at their ugly and smelly mugs.

"A miracle doctor?" one laughed loudly, "Come on, old man. Don't fill the kid's head like that!"

Another spoke up, "That's right! Ain't nothin' like that exist in this world."

More laughter began to break out throughout the room and the pinkette's two companions were visibly tense with their heads lowered. She could feel the tension that rolled off of them, but as to why they were so upset, she couldn't say for sure.

"Don't tell me you actually believe someone like that is real!" a different man shouted, mirth and amusement clear for everyone to hear.

"I do."

The room slowly died down their laughter, having taken in the female's soft, yet confident words, but the two standing beside her were more surprised than anyone. Not only by her reply, but by her entirely. There was something rolling off of her in waves that sent chills down their spine and it was a hint at something dangerous underneath her soft and small facade. Her body was tense and she was clenching her hands so tightly that the scent of fresh blood found it's way into Chopper's nose and it could be seen dripping to the floor on either side of her feet. Her fists were trembling in silent anger, but otherwise, her body was motionless, controlled.

"It doesn't matter what any of you say." she began, her voice low and deeper than usual, showing her sour mood. "I know for a fact that he is real and I will find him."

Her two companions watched her turn around and head for the doors that led to outside, her head facing downward and Sanji could tell that she was struggling to control herself. It was like looking at a bomb ready to go off.

Sakura could control herself, she could endure the stares and laughter like she had done so many times before. She would walk out of the bar without another word like she had done so many times before. She was a mature person and she knew that some fights could be won without retaliating. Nami had told them to control themselves so she couldn't let her temper get the better of her, especially not now.

She was convinced that she could make it out of this bar without throwing a fit. At least, she thought that was the case until she heard the deep voice of someone saying, "The man you are looking for is a monster."

Bare feet stopped dead in their tracks as jade eyes stared down at the ground, slightly widened. Those words seemed to vibrate off the walls and it left Sakura's body feeling numb for a moment.

" _The man you are looking for is a monster."_

" _You're like some kind of monster."_

Pink eyebrows narrowed and the gritting of her teeth could be heard throughout the quiet room, Chopper and Sanji watching her curiously with worry written across their features and they couldn't help but wonder what would happen next. Sanji knew that he should do something to stop this from escalating any further, but the air was thick and heavy, making it difficult to breathe and for sweat to gather on his forehead. Something was stopping him from grabbing the small female and leaving this damn building, but it wasn't the man that had spoken. It wasn't the crowd watching the scene in anticipation. It was her. . .

The entire room was silent and the same feeling spread across every body in the area. They were expecting something to happen and no one dared to make a move, almost as if some invisible force was holding them all back. Perhaps it was the feeling that if any one of them made a wrong move, their very lives would be forfeit to some greater power that none of them were aware of. Their skins prickled and a cold sweat broke out into the room. It was as if it were the calm before the storm and all hell was about to break loose at any moment.

Sakura clenched her fists down by her sides harshly and with her eyes dark with anger, she tilted her head to the side and looked over to her left. Her eyes settled on a tall, muscular man sitting at a table by himself next to her while she stood in the center of the room. He had a french-braided strip of hair going from his crown all the way down to his back and a beard that was braided as well, going down to his chest. His arms were crossed over his chest as he leaned back in his chair, his dark eyes staring back at her, scrutinizing her from bottom to top. Multiple scars adorned his chiseled body and rough features, showing that he was an experienced fighter.

That fact didn't scare off the pinkette though and it was as if something fragile deep inside of her had snapped, her rage clear for all to sense in the room and venom dripped from her voice as she asked lowly, "What the hell did you just say?"

The man opened his mouth, possibly going to repeat himself or come up with some remark, but didn't get the chance before Sakura ran over to the table he sat at and kicked the edge of it toward him. The large man let out a loud grunt as the round object went straight into his abdomen, knocking the breath from him at the force. Everyone could only stare on in shock as the seething female then ran over to the man and grabbed a fist full of the hair at the nape of his neck. She yanked it back while grabbing the closest chair to her and she let go of the man's hair. Not a split second after, she had the legs of the chair gripped into her hands. Her mind was blank as she slammed the wooden structure into the man's face and the chair cracked at the impact, easily breaking and sending wood pieces flying around the room.

Sanji blinked at the scene as Chopper held one of his hooves over his hat and mumbled, "Sakura's lost it." Seeing that the situation was growing even further as Sakura knocked the man's chair out from underneath him and kicked an area that had all men in the room flinching, the blonde cook decided that it was time to get the hell out of there before the authorities were called on them. Even if fights happened in bars all of the time because of reckless pirates and bandits, he didn't want to take that chance. Running over to the female while she practically snarled at the man underneath her as she stomped on his ribcage repeatedly, Sanji quickly threw his arms around her and pulled her to his chest before running off.

"Come on, Chopper. Let's get out of here!" he called back as he headed toward the door, hoping that nobody would stop him.

Sakura thrashed around in his arms, still glaring at the man on the ground that sat up before spitting out a patch of blood. "Let go of me!" she shouted, "I'm gonna kick his ass!"

Chopper blinked at them before nodding his head and he set off into a full run, chasing after them and the pinkette still hadn't calmed down even after they exited the tavern. After rushing down the street for a few minutes, Sanji was relieved when nobody seemed to be following them or looking for them, meaning that they hadn't been called on. It was a miracle actually, though he supposed that the man didn't want to make a big deal out of it. A grown man having his ass kicked by a little girl wasn't something that should be spread around, after all.

The trio had made their way down a few streets by the time that Sakura had finally calmed down and it was a relief to the two males of the group. Neither of them had imagined that such a cute and gentle girl could give off such a deadly vibe or be so scary. It was a real shocker to the both of them to say the least. The only good thing that came out of that confrontation was the knowledge of not to piss her off. She might not have been as strong as most of their members, but she knew how to fight and use her surroundings to her advantage. There was no denying that and those facts almost made her just as deadly and scary as their main fighters. Almost.

Sanji glanced down at the female in his arm, a frown on his face as he saw her slumping form. Her body seemed almost limp in his grasp and she was incredibly light, his other arm not even needed now that she had calmed down and his free hand was resting comfortably in his pant's pocket. Her previous bright demeanor had been reduced to an almost lifeless mush of body parts.

Sighing, the cook removed his hand from his pocket and switched her to his other arm before lowering her down onto the reindeer's furry back that was beside him. They both allowed it, Sakura not in the mood to protest and Chopper knowing that she wasn't going to be walking on her own at the moment. "Stay there for now. Until I say otherwise, you're on restriction."

If her spirits had been normal, she would have found his statement comical, but she wasn't in the mood. She felt defeated at the moment, having lost to her rage and lashed out at that man. The pinkette had thought that she had more control than that and the fact that she had lost her ability to think straight made her feel weak and vulnerable, but most of all, defeated. There was also the fact that she wasn't able to find anything about Law or his whereabouts. Again. What made it worse was the fact that she had attacked the only man that seemed to know anything about him. "Aye." she replied, not even bothering to talk back or resist as she laid down on the doctor's back, her arms hanging downward by his side and one leg threatening to roll off the side of him.

Sanji felt a soft smile tug at the corner of his lips and he couldn't help but think that she was kind of cute when she was pouting like this. Though scary at first, it was adorable how upset she got over someone else and he found that he was getting slightly jealous over this Law character. Even if the pinkette had never met him, she was traveling around the world in order to find him. He was sure that Chopper could help treat her if she only let him. Which brought on an interesting question, one that he was sure that she hadn't answered or nobody had asked.

"Tell me, Sakura." he began and received a grunting noise in response before he continued, "Why is it that you have to be cured by this specific person? Why not get looked at by someone else if you can?"

He was looking down at the female and for a few moments, there was nothing but silence between them and he knew that Chopper was curious about her answer as well. Setting his gaze in front of him, he let the topic drop, deciding that she wasn't going to answer after a few more seconds had passed with no reply from her.

Sakura turned her head to the side toward the cook, but her bangs covered her eyes from view even though her frown was visible for all to see. "Because they called him a monster."

The two males glanced back at her, each frowning at her reply and though it didn't entirely answer the question, they had a slight understanding on why she would go so far for this person. They turned their heads forward to watch where they were walking, not expecting her to continue, but with a soft tone, she added, "They told me that he didn't exist."

Pink eyebrows furrowed as she recalled all of the places that she had been to, trying to find something about the male doctor. "They had always laughed at me, called me crazy, but I didn't believe them. I know hes alive out there somewhere and I'll find him. Whether he cures me or not doesn't really matter to me anymore."

A hot tear escaped her eye and slid over the bridge of her nose before traveling across her cheek and into Chopper's fur. "I want to live more. I didn't even realize how beautiful this world is until I started searching for him and I want to see more of it." Sakura paused, knowing that the duo were listening closely to her and she closed her eyes. "But if I can't be healed by the person that so many judge so thoughtlessly, then I don't want to be healed by any other."

The pinkette would leave out the rest of the details on the reasons that she had gathered for wanting to find Law. It was far too complicated, even for her to understand. It was all a jumbled mess of obligations and emotions. Though, despite everything, she knew one thing was loud and clear and it was the same thing as she had just said. She wanted Law to cure her and no other. Without fail, she would find him, even if she had to travel to the ends of the world and back while pushing herself in a wheelchair across it. She would find him and this was the beginning of her real journey toward him. A journey with new comrades by her side, ones that reminded her of home, and she knew that thanks to them, she would reach her goal sooner or later. She would just have to hold out until then.

Little did she know that her will was going to be tested in more ways than one in the near future. If she had known what she was getting herself into when she decided to travel with this crew, she wouldn't have allowed herself to stay with them. Then again, she also wouldn't have lived.

 _~END OF CHAPTER FOUR~_

Please review. I appreciate any feedback. :)


	6. An Old Friend

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or One Piece nor do I make any money from my writings.

Thank you guys so much for your reviews and support. I remember being told once not to apologize for not updating for awhile, but I can't help but feel bad about it. Sigh... Oh well. Here is the next chapter and I hope you all enjoy it.

I've done some rethinking about where I want to go with this fic and made a few changes to the outline. Most things are pretty solid, but opinions are still welcomed. I might end up changing or adding some things if my interest is piqued, but like I said, everything (the major events) is pretty much set. But don't let that stop any of you from sharing your ideas. I would love it if you did. Sharing is caring after all.

yaoi-freak2580 – I will definitely have Tsunade appear in a later chapter with the Straw Hats. Not sure when or how yet, but I will definitely make it happen just to have a funny scene between her and Sanji at the very least. I'm afraid Kakashi probably won't though since I have him as the Hokage. He will make an appearance though. Not gonna tell you how. . . You'll have to wait and see. As for the person that took Sakura captive. . . I'm not saying it was him, but I'm not saying it wasn't. Muwahaha! Please enjoy and I hope you review again. Its greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Kosmas – I reassure you that I have not abandoned this story. Sakura and Law remain as two of my favorite characters out all anime/manga and I don't intend to give up on them. Its just. . . I'm really lazy and sometimes I just can't write. Stories. I write outlines like there's no tomorrow, its just the actual stories that I'm lazy with for some reason. But yeah, its not abandoned. Thanks a lot for your review and support. Please enjoy and review again.

Again, thank you all for the reviews and please enjoy this chapter.

Chapter Five: An Old Friend

Jade eyes blinked at the clothing that the two taller females changed into behind the privacy of broken walls. Halter tops, skirts and some sort of sleeveless drapes that hung from the shoulders and covered the back half of their bodies all the way down to their calves, along with some expensive looking jewelry.

"I don't think that's right." Sakura stated mostly to herself, comparing it to the normal attire of desert citizens. Sanji had picked out the outfits for everyone and she hadn't failed to notice the obvious fact that her own outfit hardly showed any skin. A pair of light purple pants that were tied to her waist by a light blue sash that tied off at her side while the bottom of the pants ruffled outward and tightened at her ankles by more cloth the same color as the sash. She wore dark purple sandals with light purple designs swirling around at the seams, a light purple shirt with the same designs as the shoes but as a darker shade and the shirt fell loosely around her torso, though the sleeves were held tightly together by light blue cloth at her shoulders and wrists, the material near her wrists spreading outward in the same fashion as the pants.

Two purple hair clips that had twin butterflies on them held her bangs securely to the side of her face, her long hair pulled up into a tight bun and held together by a decorative hair stick that had small bells and gems hanging down from the end. It was the only thing that she had picked out herself, it having reminded her of Kakashi and the bell tests that he had put Team Seven through a few times when they were growing up.

Sakura glanced around at the different outfits that the cook had picked out as the blonde had his back turned to the females while Zoro and Usopp stuffed their faces with various types of food. Chopper laid down to the side by Karoo, on his back and his hooves covering his sensitive nose, trying to block out the strong scent of the perfume that Nami wore. The pinkette felt pity for the small creature and she knew that if she were able to send chakra to her nose like she used to be able to out of habit, she would be smelling the flowery scent to the point of tears or suffocation as well.

"Sakura, get over here and eat something." Usopp said, causing her to look from the doctor over toward him. He had a piece of bread haphazardly stuffed into his mouth while he gestured with his hand to come toward them. "Before Zoro eats it all."

The swordsman set a disapproving frown on his face while he looked at the sniper before biting into a piece of meat. "Look who's talking." he grunted through a mouth full of food.

The pinkette smiled at them and nodded her head, "Aye." Jogging over to them, she realized then that she had been using that word more often lately and the thought caused her smile to brighten at some of the memories that came with that word. Good memories during dark times.

Stopping beside Usopp, she sat down next to him and gratefully received a piece of meat from his outstretched hand. She took her time biting into it and savoring the taste, unlike the two males that continued to ravage their own food. Thinking back over the events of the day, Sakura frowned at the fact that she wasn't able to find anything useful to her. Shortly after they had left the tavern and she was supposedly put on 'restriction', Sanji had left the group to go flirt with women after instructing Chopper to watch over her while he 'shopped'. Sakura had sighed at his behavior and had separated from the reindeer to shop while he found a shady place to lay. He had been extremely reluctant at first, but the harsh sun attacking his furry coat helped convince him otherwise, well that and her comment of the possibility of him getting heat stroke. It was safe to say at the time that they had all lost track of each other, but had somehow managed to come together once again and start properly shopping.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura watched the blonde cook fawn over Vivi and her outfit while she tried to explain to him that they were crossing a desert and that the outfits he had picked out for them weren't exactly appropriate. He then turned his attention to the trio that sat on the ground, eating.

"Now, lets take a look at you guys." he smirked and they were looking up at him with their eyebrows furrowed, their jaws chomping away on the food in their mouths. Sakura looked up at him curiously while the cook added, "Compared to the lovely ladies, you two look like sloppy bandits."

"You might want to look in a mirror." the swordsman replied and Sakura quickly glanced between the two, sensing a rivalry that was strictly between the blonde and green haired man.

Usopp dismissed the cook's comment and turned his head to look back at Chopper, the little reindeer in the same position as he was moments before, letting out small sounds of discomfort. "Hey, Chopper." the sniper called out through a mouth full of food. "What are you doing?"

Sakura looked ahead of her and reached for one of the bottles. She picked up a dark purple one that was among three other ones and she put the opening to her nose before sniffing. Alcohol. Before she even had time to decide if she wanted to drink it or not, the bottle was taken from her from a tan colored hand.

"Don't even think about drinking that." she heard a deep voice say and she looked up to see Zoro pulling the bottle toward him while he picked up another; a clearer bottle. Holding it out toward her, he put his own bottle to his lips and set a slightly stern gaze on her. "Here."

The pinkette smiled as she took the bottle from him. "Thank you." Slowly drinking it to wash down the food that she ate, she focused her thoughts on other manners while she vaguely listened to the commotion that the crew members made about Chopper's nose and Nami's perfume.

"At any rate." Usopp piped in, sitting to the side after the trio were done eating. "At least now we've gathered all the supplies that we'll need in order to cross the desert."

"Yeah." Vivi said softly, her frowning gaze dropping down to the ground.

Nami was looking at the blue haired female when she added, "This oasis, you said its called 'Yuba', right?"

Vivi turned her head toward the redhead, though she didn't look at her, keeping her eyes down toward the ground and the pinkette could tell that she was contemplating something. "Yes, that's correct, but first we'll have to travel through the desert." The princess furrowed her eyebrows before she added, "That trip will most likely be a lot more difficult than any of you can even begin to imagine."

Ha! If only she knew. Sakura had had her dealings with deserts before and she always turned out just fine, but now wasn't the time to bring that up. At least not yet. Everyone had their eyes on the princess and she continued, the concern laced in her voice, "There's no telling what might happen out there. One wrong step at any moment in a desert land like this and there's no guarantee that we'll all survive. I'm still a little reluctant about asking you to follow me into such a dangerous place."

Sakura felt a soft smile tug at the corner of her lips as the princess continued and she listened to her words carefully as she stated that she was reluctant to ask them to follow her into such a dangerous place. The pinkette's expression softened when Vivi finally looked up with her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes set with determination as she asked them to help save her country. Each of them had their own reactions to the female and the former shinobi let those words seep into her mind for a few moments.

Standing up with everyone, she smiled up at the princess and said calmly, "I've traveled across deserts before." Everyone turned their attention to her, some mildly surprised.

"You have?" Chopper asked curiously.

Sakura nodded in response, but kept her eyes on Vivi. "Yes, its been almost nine years since the last time I traveled across one, but I know of the dangers it holds and my body adapts quickly to the climate." Tilting her head to the side and with a gentle smile, she added, "I can help everyone out as well by finding water sources and anything dangerous to look out for."

Vivi smiled brightly down at the pink haired female, feeling that she was no longer skeptical of her and had accepted her, despite her family's former title. "Thank you. I'd appreciate that."

"At least we won't be going in blindly." Sanji stated, grateful that at least two of them had experience in this sort of field.

However, the easygoing atmosphere between them all slowly vanished with an abrupt question from the crew's sniper, "How old were you again?"

~SCENE CHANGE~

Sakura looked out at the city that was to the right of the ship, her eyes gazing over the buildings in the distance. She stood in the crow's nest, her hand placed on the mast that came up through the center of it. She was smiling softly out at the city, slowly taking in the beautiful sight of the structured buildings.

The pinkette had made her way back to the ship before any one else and some had stayed behind in their hiding place while the others had left to search for Luffy. She had become hesitant around the princess once she found out her family name, but that had slowly begun to change. She didn't completely trust her yet, but she couldn't put the blame on the citizens. She would help them either way. If there was going to be a civil war, she would want to help them and save as many as possible.

The princess aside, Sakura didn't want those people to suffer. She had seen war before and the prospect of having to witness it again scared her. Especially with the lack of her chakra. How was she supposed to help these people? She had no idea. She didn't want to see anyone die, but it looked like she didn't have a choice in the matter. She was just too weak and she doubted that the war wouldn't happen. Things never turned out alright in the end without at least some bloodshed. The Uchiha massacre was proof of that. But. . . how was she going to help them?

Her thoughts didn't last long as a sudden pain shot through her chest, causing her to gasp and her eyes to widen. Sakura instantly fell down to her knees, her hand clutching her shirt over her heart, the organ feeling like it was going to burst at any moment. A sudden sweat began to drip down her body and the female lowered herself down to the wood underneath her completely. Ragged breaths escaped through her mouth. It was so hot and so hard to breathe.

Her back arched and she let out a grunt as pain shot through her once more, making her feel like she had been struck with electricity. Her entire body was sweating and it had nothing to do with the heat. Moments passed by of excruciating pain and Sakura was barely breathing. With each inch her body moved, it would send another wave of pain through her. It was best to wait it out. Not that she could do much else. Her body was weak and her mind felt like a pile of mush. She couldn't concentrate on anything other than wanting the pain to stop. It went from electrifying jolts to feeling like her body was boiling over a roaring fire.

Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes, which were clenched tightly shut and the pinkette waited patiently for the agonizing pain to subside, desperately hoping that none of the crew members came back and found her in such a state.

The pinkette managed to keep her groans and grunts muffled under her breath, being careful not to make her presence known if there happened to be anyone down below on the ship. She didn't think there were though, but it never hurt to be too careful. None of them knew the extent in which the poison affected her body and she wanted it to stay that way. They were already treating her like she was a fragile doll, she didn't need that behavior to increase. Especially the doctor and swordsman, she noted. It was sort of natural for the the doctor to be concerned about her health, most likely seeing her as his patient ever since they met. The older male, however, was a more complex case and she could only assume that it was because of her small size that he treated her more gently than he did the others.

After what felt like hours, the pain finally subsided and instead of sitting up, the pinkette didn't move. Her tiny body trembled in short tremors and soft gasps drew passed her lips while her brain began to focus on nothing in particular now that the pain was gone. Relief filled her being and she almost felt like crying even further at the new comfortable feeling as she continued to lay down on the wood. Her body quickly relaxed and the thick air felt cool against the sweat on her skin, showing just how scorching her body had been against the hot temperature of the weather surrounding the desert country.

Her eyes were closed and her breathing slowly began to even out, her previously aching body twitching every few moments in order to get accustomed to not having to scream out in agony. A slight breeze blew passed the area and it caused goosebumps to rise on her skin, the cool air sending chills down her spine. Now that her previously racing mind finally had a break and could focus on something, she began to retrace on what her thoughts were before that attack happened on her unsuspecting body.

Oh that's right. . . Vivi and this country.

Resisting the urge to turn onto her back and look up at the sky since she knew it would only hurt her currently sensitive eyes, she continued to lay down on her stomach on the floorboard of the crow's nest. She didn't even want to go back to thinking about the princess. Despite her being a good person, the pinkette couldn't even look at her without being reminded of her past and she hated it. She had nothing against this country or it's people. She just hated the Celestial Dragons and everything that they stood for.

Sakura kept herself from reaching behind her and stroking her fingers down her back, where their symbol was burnt into her back years ago. Very few people had seen it and she was incredibly reluctant to allow the two females on the ship to see it. Although, she supposed it was because if she had made a big deal out of it then, then they would have known that something was wrong. She would then have had to tell them that it was nothing and she would have had to look at their concerned faces. Vivi had done a good job at hiding her own response to the mark on her back.

Thinking about that time even further, Sakura had to give the two teenaged females some credit. They had seen her body completely naked, yet neither of them commented on the large number of scars adorning her body, especially her back. Perhaps it was because they didn't want to upset or offend her. Only two other people had seen that damn mark on her body and she had the word of both of them that they wouldn't tell anybody about it. It wasn't so much as an insult to her pride as it was a constant reminder of her past and she had decided long ago that she would like it it to be removed. It was also irritating how she had to make sure that her back was constantly covered so nobody saw the mark. She didn't want the marines called on her because she was an 'escaped slave'.

The pinkette almost scoffed at the thought. That bastard had left her for dead and the other had toyed with her. . .

Shaking her head harshly against the wood pressing into the side of her face, she forced those thoughts out of her mind and focused on something much more heart-lifting. Like sleep.

Sakura didn't even realize how exhausted she was until she felt her consciousness slipping, the sound of birds overhead chirping loudly to themselves. It wasn't but a few moments and she was sleeping soundly in the very same position, her chest rising and falling gently.

~SCENE CHANGE~

 _Harsh footsteps could be heard stomping through the dark and solemn dungeon, two different sets of feet making their way to a specific cell while they passed by countless others, which were filled with various other prisoners. The two, muscular men held an arm up by one of their own while a petite body limply swayed as they continued to walk. Pink hair fell down over bruised and dirt-ridden cheeks while blood rolled down her face from the side of her head._

 _They eventually came up to her cell and the door was swung open before the female was tossed inside carelessly. Her small body landed on the ground with a soft cracking noise and the door to the cell was slammed shut before it was locked with a key. Glazed over, jade eyes stared ahead of the female and she vaguely listened while the men grumbled about her from outside the metal cell._

" _Stupid child. Doesn't she realize that she wouldn't have to go through this if she just listened to what the Young Master told her?_

" _There's nothing that we can do about that. If she wants to be a fool, then let her be one."_

 _A feral smirk passed the former man's mouth and she could hear the amusement in his voice when he said, "It doesn't matter anyway. She'll be dead soon if she keeps this up."_

" _She didn't even wince today. What a freak."_

 _The two men walked off and Sakura allowed some emotion to come back into her face as her back ached and stung in pain, blood no doubt staining the cloth that hung over her shoulders and covered most of her body._

" _Why don't you just tell him what he wants to know, Saku-chan?" a small and gentle voice said from beside her, the cell to the left of her's._

" _That worried about my well-being, Peanut?" Sakura replied and though she was facing toward where the small girl was, she didn't look at her. The little child had been there before the pinkette had arrived there herself, stating that she was an orphan and that she didn't have a name. The child did seem to rather enjoy peanuts however, and would occasionally receive them upon 'good behavior', thus how she received her nickname. The pinkette was sure it was more of a way to mock her somehow. What she was doing there in the first place, Sakura had no idea._

" _Aye."_

 _The short, but cute, reply had the former kunoichi closing her eyes and smiling softly. It was nice to know that someone in this hellish place was looking out for her and cared about her. "I can't tell him what I don't know."_

" _You could at least make something up so you don't get punished."_

 _Sakura finally opened her eyes and set her gaze on the young female. She was sitting at the bars that separated their cells, her small hands circling around the metal as she looked at the pinkette with genuine concern in her large, bright, brown eyes. A light shade of olive-colored skin, sandy brown colored hair that stopped at her collarbones, thin lips, and a small nose adorned her features. Like everyone else, her body was lacking in weight and nutrients, and it showed on her body, but despite that, she was still pretty cute._

 _Sitting up and pulling her knees to her chest, she wrapped her arms around her legs and put her chin on her knees. Facing toward the entrance of her cell, her eyes were darted down to the cold, stone floor. "He'll just be even more pissed off when he finds out that I lied."_

 _A moment of unsettled silence passed between them, though Sakura paid no attention to it. She was too busy trying to ignore the pain in her limbs. She was glad that she had all those years as a shinobi, otherwise, she would have already screamed her throat dry at that point. She was used to pain, she could endure it, but that didn't mean that she didn't feel it._

" _Is the man you're looking for really worth this?" Peanut asked, a deep frown on her face. She didn't like to see the female so beaten down. What made it worse was the way she would smile to try to cover up how much she was suffering._

 _As if reading the child's mind, a weak smile found it's way on Sakura's mouth, her pink eyebrows furrowed in thought. "I don't know." She knew that she had to look pitiful, broken, and beaten down, but she didn't care. Clenching her eyes shut and squeezing her legs to her chest tighter, she forced herself to smile more. "But I won't know until I find him."_

~SCENE CHANGE~

Sakura woke up to what sounded like fighting and she let out a low groan as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. She realized then that she probably should have found a better place to rest when she felt the cramps and aches in her joints and muscles. Standing up, she didn't sense any danger in the air and she was met with the sight of the burnt wreckage of ships straight ahead of them. Jade eyes blinked at the scene, wondering what happened, but knowing that the ship wasn't in any danger. Stretching her arms above her head, she made a mental note to work out the soar and tense muscles in her body later on.

Slowly making her way down the mast, she kept her eyes lowered as to not look at the bright sky and indirectly blind herself after having just woken up. The events of the dream had escaped her mind by the time that she was halfway down and her feet eventually touched the bottom by the time that the rest of the crew were making their way to the center deck.

"Hey, Sakura. Where have you been?" the navigator asked curiously while the others looked at her as well. They had noticed that she wasn't on the deck anywhere, but Sanji had insisted that she was fine and not to worry about her.

The pinkette rubbed the sleep from her eyes once again and she was sure that there were red markings going down the side of her face where she had slept against the wood. She pointed her finger up at the crow's nest and replied softly, "I overslept."

"We figured that might have been the case." Usopp replied and Sakura lowered her hands down by her side, only to receive a few chuckles.

"Your face is all red." Luffy laughed, pointing at the side of her face and she knew that the red lines were there after all.

Sakura made a grumbling noise in return as she closed her eyes and yawned into her palm. Her head was pushed downward and her mouth quickly closed with a grunt and she could tell that someone had placed their large hand on top of her head. Looking up at the person who had done it, her jade eyes widened in mirth and she smiled brightly.

"Ace-sama!" the pinkette stated, taking in the appearance of the male. He looked the same as the last time that she saw him, only taller and more muscular.

"Hey there, squirt." he replied, a wide smile on his face as he looked down at the pink haired female and was well aware of the curious glances they were getting.

Sakura immediately closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his legs, her face connecting with his thighs. The male let out an amused chuckle at her and adjusted the orange hat on his head with his left hand while he placed his right one on the back of her head.

"So you two know each other?" Luffy asked.

The pinkette kept her cheek to the dark blue fabric of Ace's shorts, a smile on her lips, and her eyes closed as she took in the fire user's unique scent. She was glad to have finally met him again after so long and the memories they shared together rushed into her mind instantly. He seemed to be doing well and that fact brightened her mood, though she wasn't sure what he was doing here instead of with his crew.

"I guess you could say we're old friends." Ace replied to his younger brother, patting the pinkette's head softly. He wanted to catch up with her to see how she had been for the past two years, but that could wait. They had plenty of time to catch up later, though he was curious as to why she would be traveling with his younger brother. The last time that they were together, she had told his captain that she didn't want to travel with a group for good in order to accomplish her goal. Perhaps it was the same with this crew.

Sakura looked up at the taller male, her eyes bright and said hopefully, "We'll catch up later?"

"Count on it, squirt."

~SCENE CHANGE~

Blue waves splashed upward against the yellow metal of the submarine, a lone figure standing at the bow of it, his hard, grey eyes looking ahead of him while a stoic expression grazed his features. His yellow sweatshirt swayed lightly in the breeze that helped their vessel move along smoothly. A soft sigh left his lips as he thought about how much time had passed since he first set out to sea.

His tattooed hands were stuffed into the pockets of his spotted jeans and within the right pocket, his fingers grazed across metal and cloth. Curling his fingers around the object, he pulled it out of his pocket and held it up in front of him, his grey eyes looking down at it to inspect it as he had done so many times before. A metal headband with a leaf insignia in the center rested in his grasp, the red cloth attached to it falling down on each side of his hand.

The twenty-four year old wasn't sure why he kept hanging onto it. He was tempted quite a few times to just toss it aside and forget about it, but the day that he had found it kept lingering in his mind whenever those thoughts would make themselves known to him.

" _Can you believe that girl?" a man laughed, "A miracle doctor! As if she would find someone like that!"_

He hadn't known it at the time, but that young girl had been looking for him. She had asked about him right before colliding into his legs. She hadn't looked up at him though, far too upset by the laughter that chased after her from the people in the tavern. He had picked up her headband without much thought at the time and was intending to give it back to her before she had gotten too far away, but by the time that he had looked back for her, she was gone.

Unfortunately, he hadn't seen much of her face, but he remembered her bright, pink hair that was as clear as day. He was expecting to see her some time in the future however. It had been five years since that day and he felt anxious and cautious about meeting the female. He knew that she would find him eventually, it was a feeling deep in his gut. Most likely from the fact that not many had known his name back then. That was before he had gathered a crew and he was still wandering around in the North Blue. He hadn't had a bounty back then and the only ones that had known his name or face were the ones from the Donquixote family. Well, the only ones that would possibly want to search for him.

The possibility of her working under that man had crossed his mind often, though that didn't make much sense to him when he thought about it more. Doflamingo wouldn't waste resources just to go after him and he especially wouldn't send a child after him. The small female didn't seem to have any real malice about her either and she had almost seemed polite, having apologized to him for bumping into him.

The male wasn't sure how she came about to know his name, but there was still the suspicion that she was connected with Doflamingo somehow. If she had been ordered to kill or capture him, she wouldn't have lost her composure like that. She would have made sure that she found him, so it might have been possible that she didn't hold any ill intent and that she just needed his help with something.

A smirk crossed his features at the thought, realizing that there was a high possibility that she was already dead. It would be a shame, really. He had no idea why, but she had stuck with him during the past five years and he couldn't wait to meet her. No one had really sought him out like that before and he was curious as to what her reasons for finding him were, as well as how she had come to find out about him. If she were still alive, would she still be looking for him, or would she have given up by now? It had been five years, so he wouldn't have doubted it. Not many people would continue looking for somebody that they didn't even know, especially when they weren't ordered to. Even if their life hung in the balance, most people would still give up or die before they could reach that person. That's the way it was.

It was only a matter of time. All he had to do was wait. The dark haired male was waiting patiently for the day that that pink haired child would find him. When that day came, he would finally get the answers he was looking for. Although, he most likely wouldn't find a child if he were to meet her. It had been five years after all, so she would be a teenager. Nonetheless, he hoped that the time would come soon, but he could still be patient. Yes, Trafalgar Law would wait.

 _~THE END OF CHAPTER FIVE~_

Please review what you guys think :)


	7. Fighting the Past

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or One Piece nor do I make any money for my writings.

A/N: Thank you all for the lovely reviews and I also thank you for your patience.

Maishul: You are the first person to have asked me how I plan on aging her from her small body. I really wouldn't consider it a spoiler, so I'll tell you. I plan on having her age from a ten year old to a twenty-six/twenty-seven year old naturally, but at a faster rate. So by the time the Archipelago arc comes around, she'll be the size of a teenager. I never considered the thought of her meeting Jewelry Bonney so it kinda surprised me when you mentioned it haha. Thanks for your review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Kosmas: I didn't think you sounded rude or pushy at all. I didn't mean to make it seem like that. Sorry. I appreciate the reviews you give and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter also.

Again, thank you everyone for reading and reviewing. Please enjoy this chapter.

Chapter Six: Fighting the Past

Multiple sets of feet tracked across the sandy ground of the desert as sweat ran down their faces. The sun was high in the sky and its rays threatened to scorch the skin of the group that traveled across the land. The occasional groan left the captain's mouth; his noisy protest to the heat that bore down on them from above. He was by far the one that made the most racket during their trip across the desert so far, though he wasn't the one that should be pitied. If anyone should have sympathy, it was the doctor that was sprawled out on a wooden sled and being pulled, courtesy of the swordsman. His furry body was guaranteed to attract more heat than the rest of his companions. He certainly had Sakura's pity and it seemed Zoro's as well, since the green haired man was willing to pull him along the ground so he didn't have to walk as much.

The only ones that seemed to be unaffected by the heat were the princess and pinkette, her body having gotten used to the heat shortly after they began their trek. However, one thing that distracted Sakura from the atmosphere was her thoughts. Traveling across the desert again brought back memories of her second attempt at becoming a Chuunin and when she fought against the Akatsuki to rescue Gaara. Sasori of the Red Sand. The side of her lips titled upward in a small smile, remembering that battle with Elder Chiyo. She had been able to show off the results of her training during that mission and she had felt such pride back then.

Letting out a sigh, she pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind, otherwise she would dwell on them all day and feel bad. She couldn't compare her current self to her past one. She might have lost her strength and chakra, but she still had grown stronger. She grew wiser, more mature, and had learned many things to help her survive in this harsh world. She wasn't a weak and helpless child in need of saving. She didn't depend on people to help her nor did she seek assistance out, which was more than she could say for her past self. So in a way, she was proud of herself, for that and for making it this far.

Sakura let her gaze travel to her right and her jade eyes landed on the man that walked beside her, causing her expression to soften. Her features turned gentle without any protest as she took him in and her tense muscles eased out a bit, a feeling of warmth and reassurance filling her. The Whitebeard pirate walked beside her, his stride calm and confident as he looked ahead of him, taking in the surrounding area with slight caution.

After he had told everyone about his goal of finding someone named Blackbeard and asking to accompany them on their journey to Yuba, they had walked off to the side together. Staying true to his statement, he was willing to share some time alone with her so that they could catch up with what had happened over the two years of not seeing each other. She hadn't been surprised to find out that Blackbeard was actually Marshall Teach and that he had killed a crewmate. When she had spent time with the crew and the few times that she had spoken with that man, she had never felt comfortable with him, as if knowing that he wasn't any good or trustworthy.

Ace had asked about her goal and if she had found Law yet, which she had solemnly stated was a negative. After discussing how she ended up going back to the North Blue after they had dropped her off into the Grand Line and how she found out that Law did exist, she told him about how the poison was affecting her body even more. He didn't seem pleased that her memory was being affected as well and though he knew that he couldn't help her with her condition, he didn't want her to get any worse.

The fire user was aware of how much the pinkette had been through during her journey and he was relieved to hear that she hadn't been through anymore harsh times since his captain had found her. He had also asked her why she would join his brother's crew, the knowledge of their relation not a surprise to her, considering that he had told her that he had a younger brother while she was with him. Sakura had told him that she decided to let fate carry her toward her goal and that she felt that if she stayed with Luffy and his crew long enough, she would find Law. All she had to do until then was live and wait. Although, in the back of her mind, she had a feeling that those two things were going to be difficult.

Another thing that was becoming more apparent the more she spent time with the loudmouthed captain was the inkling suspicion that. . . she knew him. It was a tiny voice in the back of her mind, whispering to her when her gaze landed on him. She couldn't hear the words, but she got the notion. She had felt like that once before. . . With Ace when she had first saw him. However, it wasn't as strong as the one she felt when looking at Luffy. Had she met him before? She couldn't remember. . . but she had a feeling that was also a part of the reason that she wanted to stay with him for the time being. She was curious. Who was this teenage boy to her?

Sakura hadn't realized that her eyes had landed on the young teen until he glanced back at her, as if sensing her gaze on him. Her jade eyes slowly widened, only slightly, when his parted lips turned into a soft smile that was directed only at her. It was so different from his usual smiles and goofy grins and it held a deeper meaning than she could grasp at that moment. Unable to look him in the eye any further, she looked away. A warm feeling crept into her chest and the pinkette welcomed it. Slowly, a small smile stretched across her lips as her gaze continued to rake over the sand to the side of her, unaware that her dark haired friend next to her had caught the exchange between her and his little brother. She also didn't catch the way his own smile formed on his mouth or how adoring it was before he looked back ahead of him, Luffy doing the same.

The small female turned her attention back ahead of her and a slight breeze blew passed them, causing the sweat on their bodies to cool down tremendously and goosebumps rose on her skin underneath her clothes.

"Ah, that breeze feels good." Usopp stated in joy, his arms spread outward and his mouth open while his eyes were closed in bliss. The ruffled sand that was brought along with the breeze entered the sniper's mouth and it was an easy target considering how wide he had it open. The male immediately slumped over and started hacking and sputtering, causing their captain to laugh at him in amusement.

"Mmhmm." Nami replied, a gleeful smile on her lips and her brown eyes closed as she hummed, ignoring the gagging sounds of the man that she had replied to, who was now having his back patted awkwardly by the cook.

The pinkette furrowed her eyebrows at the earthy grains that flowed across the ground in swirling motions. A deep and thoughtful frown adorned her lips as she watched the movements closely. Something about this desert seemed odd, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She could sense something menacing about it, as if it had a mind of its own in some manner and for the life of her, she couldn't get the image of Gaara out of the back of her head. She wasn't sure if it was because of memories anymore or if it was for an entirely different reason.

Sakura let her thoughts go back to the town that they had shortly passed awhile back. It was obvious that the land was going through a drought. The canal had dried and the plants were dying, if not dead, but that was what had the former kunoichi puzzled. She could understand why the people would migrate to another location and their previous buildings of residence were in ruins. Collapsed buildings and damaged structures, but she would have figured that the people accustomed to living in the desert would make stronger buildings than that, at least against a normal sandstorm. She had been in quite a few before herself and had to sit them out so she was familiar with how powerful they could be, but these people should know their land better than that.

It wasn't a normal sandstorm that caused that amount of destruction, it had to be stronger. Although she supposed that a large creature could have caused it, but with the drought, that was unlikely since they would gather to a constant water source. That brought up another matter. The drought couldn't have lasted three years in that town. Some of the trees that she had seen there weren't completely dead. They still had leaves and stems that were green. The issue with the dance powder and rain stealing happened three years ago. That town had suffered afterward so that wasn't the cause of it and there should still have been water under the ground.

Granted that some of the leaves were still green from some water, there should have been more than that. A few sandstorms wouldn't have caused that much damage to the water supply. Something else was at work here and she had a feeling that it was connected to Crocodile. The female was aware that the Warlord was a devil fruit eater, though she didn't know what his ability was. Perhaps it was similar to Gaara's ability. That would explain the feeling that she kept getting from the sand surrounding her. Her body was warning her.

Jade eyes squinted a bit as they took in a dark figure in the distance, slowly but surely approaching them. She couldn't make out any features, although she could tell that it was a person. As soon as she noticed them, they disappeared into the horizon and it caused her to furrow her pink eyebrows. She knew that she wasn't imagining that and something inside of her gut stirred. Something was about to happen.

~SCENE CHANGE~

Sakura couldn't believe her eyes when she found a dark figure sitting on top of a large boulder, his features incredibly familiar to her. She had seen the figure approaching her group multiple times, each time getting closer until finally, she was able to make him out. The sun had been starting to set by the time that she got close enough to him and she had ran off toward him, leaving the crew behind to watch her. Nami and Vivi had called out to her, asking where she was going and telling her to be careful. She had dismissed them however, excitement and joy flooding her veins and urging her to keep running to the man that sat on top of the boulder.

Now she stood before him, her eyes wide with disbelief, but her mouth wide in a bright smile. It had been over seven years since she last saw him. She hadn't expected to see that grin of his ever again, especially not in this desert. He was grinning down at her as his purple make-up adorned his adult-like features. He was wearing his usual black attire, though now sporting multiple belts going across his torso to hold up the multiple large scrolls on his back, even more so than she last saw.

"Kankuro." she said softly and her expression softened greatly. She took in his appearance even as the setting sun behind him stabbed into her eyes, but she dared not look away, afraid that if she did, he would disappear. She silently prayed that he wasn't a figment of her imagination or perhaps a mirage created by the desert. Seeing Ace had made her happy, but it was nothing compared to seeing the puppet master again.

The Jounin felt his grin turn into a smile as he replied, "Fancy meeting you here of all places, Sakura."

A breath that she hadn't realized that she had been holding escaped her, relieved that he was real after all. "Kankuro." she repeated without much thought. She was just so thrilled to meet someone from her past as a shinobi. It had been so long and she was worried how everyone was doing. At least the middle of the Sand Siblings was doing well, from what she could see.

The male jumped down from his sitting position and landed in front of her before being immediately embraced by the small female. Sakura had jumped up into his torso, her arms attempting to wrap around his chest and the puppeteer let out a chuckle before wrapping his own arms around her. He held her tightly to his torso while the Straw Hats and company stopped a few ways away and watched them curiously.

"Who is that?" Usopp asked, taking in the appearance of the male that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"No idea." Luffy replied, doing the same and the rest of the crew had the same question as the sniper, but it was obvious that it was someone that Sakura knew very well and felt comfortable around if she embraced him so joyfully.

The only one that had an idea of who the male character was was the fire user. Having known the girl's past as a shinobi, he figured the odd looking man was a former comrade of her's. Although, that didn't stop his dark eyes from paying attention to their movements. It was already in his nature to make sure that the pinkette stayed safe and he wouldn't hesitate to attack if need be, even if he was an old friend.

Sakura felt herself being placed down on the ground and she let her hands travel down to Kankuro's. She held them gingerly while they looked at each other and with curiosity in her tone, she asked, "What are you doing here, Kankuro?"

The pinkette knew that other shinobi had been crossing the border between their continent and into the New World. Word about her crossing over had gotten out somehow and many of their people had gotten curious and traveled to the new lands. That was how they began to be labeled as a different race of people almost. They were rare and highly sought after at times and most of them were captured by high level marines and sold off as slaves or killed. The barrier was placed up around them for a reason and it seemed that the Government thought that they were too dangerous to be free and run around as they pleased. She found out that the Government and Navy also kept tabs on what happened inside of the barrier, which most likely explained the crack in the barrier. It was there to allow access to the men that went there to spy and see how things were going.

They had known who she was almost immediately after seeing her for the first time and was tempted to have her executed, silently frightened at the thought of having one of the Legendary Sannin running around. She would have been if it weren't for that fat pig of a bastard that bought her at such a high price. She supposed that he had bought her because of the thrill of controlling something dangerous and untamable such as a shinobi like her, although she wasn't much of one at the time. More satisfaction for when he broke her.

Why they wanted her kind when there were other shinobi born in the New World outside of the barrier, she didn't know. Why they thought that they were too dangerous when there were even scarier creatures and people out in the world, she didn't know either.

That was the fate of her kind that crossed the border, she was just lucky to have been able to escape it. So to see Kankuro standing before her, looking much like he did the day she last saw him, relief filled her being.

"Since the incident with you, the Five Kage felt that it was necessary to learn more about the world outside of the barrier." he replied calmly, "I've been assigned to gathering herbs and information in order to prevent something like that happening with someone else."

Sakura nodded her head in understanding and was glad that the Hidden Villages were taking action against this.

"I'm glad to see that you're still alive, Sakura." the Sand shinobi added and she could see it in his eyes that he was telling the truth. "Everyone will be so relieved to find out that they were right to believe in you."

Sakura's smile softened at that and she felt adoration for her former comrades that believed that she wouldn't die so easily, despite their earlier warnings and claiming of her doing so. "Its been so long. I can't wait to be able to go back to Konoha."

The pinkette was aware that the others had sat down to the side and that a few of them were straining their ears to try to pick up on her conversation with her old comrade, but she dismissed it. It seemed that they were making camp for the night, the sun slowly dying down even more and it was sure to bring about freezing temperatures along with the starry night.

"That reminds me. I was the one that was most acquainted with Konoha shinobi when they sent a group out to search, so I was asked personally by a certain Uchiha to give you something if I were to run into you."

Sakura's eyes widened and her expression showed how surprised she was by his calm and clearly amused statement and his smug smirk only deepened by her reaction. He could see the wheels turning in her mind, no doubt wondering what it was and why he would give something to her.

The Jounin male reached into his pant's pocket and pulled out a scroll. Kneeling down to the ground, he placed the scroll on the ground. The pinkette arched an eyebrow as she watched him unroll it and place his hand over the markings circling around on the center of the material. Not a moment later, a puff of smoke came out of the scroll and it caught the attention of the rest of the group near them that hadn't been looking at them beforehand. Sakura blinked a few times before the smoke cleared and her eyes widened once more when she saw what Kankuro was holding in his hands.

She couldn't tell exactly what it was yet, but what was covering it had her bring a hand to her mouth to stifle a soft gasp. A black cloth wrapped around a long item in a wooden box, shielding it from sight, and what had caught her attention was the proud crest of the Uchiha resting on the cloth. She instantly knew that it was one of his shirts and he was giving it to her to proudly wear it like she had once done.

Kankuro stood up and held out the item toward her and waited patiently for her to lift up her hands and grasp it in her small hands. When he felt that she had a solid grasp on the gift, he let go and pulled his hands back, dropping them down by his sides. "I'm sure you'll know how to use it, Sakura. You bring pride to your village, even now."

Sakura furrowed her pink eyebrows and for the first time in years, she felt true pride course through her and she knew it was due to the Jounin's words. Although, she was more grateful than anything. He had been holding onto this, solely for her sake and she appreciated it greatly.

"Thank you." she said softly, her head lowered downward and her bangs covering her eyes from sight. Dark eyes watched as a single tear slid down her cheek and down her chin before falling down to the sandy ground beneath them. It soaked into the surface and caused the sand to darken around the spot that it had landed. A frown grazed the male's features before the pinkette pulled the gift into her chest tightly and tilted her head upward enough for him to see most of her face. Her eyes were closed and a grateful and adoring smile adorned her lips as another tear escaped her closed lids. "Thank you so much, Kankuro."

He merely smiled in return and nodded. He was glad to have met the fiery kunoichi once again and he knew that she was still a shinobi of Konoha at heart, even after everything. She would go back home after she accomplished her goal and they would wait for her. Konoha had tried to stop her from leaving at first, but with her stubborn departure, everyone had begun to realize that she wasn't so helpless as they made her out to be. She had proved herself on many occasions that she was strong and they believed that she was alive, that she would come back to them and Kankuro had now proven that their faith wasn't in vain. Sakura was alive and she was strong.

At least that's what he wanted to believe. . . Things weren't that simple and she was sure to find that out very soon. She would return home quicker than she would think and good news was not waiting for her. She would have to come to a decision very soon about her future, but now wasn't the time for that. He was just glad that she was alive.

~SCENE CHANGE~

Kankuro had left shortly before the sun had fully set and after Sakura had made a few requests to him, some of which he wasn't entirely happy about, but what could he do? He owed her for saving not only his life, but also his younger brother's. If it weren't for her, Chiyo would have died against her own grandson, therefore, she wouldn't have been able to bring Gaara back to life. Kakashi and Naruto wouldn't have been of any help to the old woman either, considering neither of them would have been able to fight off his poison. Sakura wasn't one to hold past actions over other people though and hadn't done so with him, merely asking him to do a few things for her, which was one main reason why he had relented to her.

He had left after that and with wishing each other good luck and to be careful, he left on his way to continue his own mission. She had saw him off and was bombarded with various questions from the group that she had stayed behind with. They were all curious as to who he was, what he had to say to her, what he had given her, and more. She had answered all of them patiently, telling them that he was an old friend that she wasn't expecting to see and that she didn't know what it was he had given her.

Sakura was on the verge of finding out as she sat near the roaring fire that Ace had made for them. Everyone was doing their own thing while she stared down at the cloth wrapped item, her curiosity slowly settling in more and more the longer she looked down at it. She was sure that it was some kind of weapon. Sasuke wouldn't have sent her something useless after all. Although she couldn't fathom why he would have something sent to her at all, married or not. He wasn't the type of man to send her gifts, or anything at all for that matter. Not if it required to show affection or concern for her. So this item had her very curious, if not cautious. Her suspicion would have been comical if not sad.

The stars sparkled brightly up in the sky and the moon shone over the sandy horizon, giving her plenty of light to see, along with the crackle of the fire next to her. Without wasting anymore time, she began to unfold the cloth and the black material landed on either side of her folded legs in front of her. After a few moments, she pulled the shirt all the way away from the item and set it aside on her lap. She would pull it on later so as not to lose it and then she began to open the box that covered the item from prying eyes. Her jade eyes widened in surprise yet again as she removed the cover and was met with the sight of a long, familiar sword. The sheath and hilt were the same color, had no spectacular or beautiful designs, had no guard, and it gave off the vibe of electrifying power that it had consumed on many occasions. It was Sasuke's. . .

Sakura placed her fingers inside of the box and slowly pulled the sword out while not being able to grasp why Sasuke would give her his prized possession. A small smile adorned her lips at the thought and she would be eternally grateful toward him and his consideration. At least now, she wouldn't have to fight barehanded. She would be able to protect herself with his sword. As to why he would give it to her, she could only imagine. Perhaps he felt guilty for his reaction to her wanting to leave the village seven years ago. He was one of the first among many that claimed that she was on a fool's quest. There had to be a reason and perhaps he was expecting it back at a later date, but for now, she would use it or at least hold onto it.

Holding the weapon down in her lap, she began to ponder what her future would hold. This sword was a relic, a reminder of her past, something that she couldn't escape. It brought back both good and bad memories of the Uchiha and their time together. That brought on another thought to the pinkette, which caused her to frown. All she really had were her memories. She had decided to travel with this group to find Law so she could be cured, so she could move on, but was she really moving on? Law and her warped reasons for finding him aside, what else was going on with her? Perhaps she could figure that out in time.

Looking up, her eyes settled on the rambunctious captain and equally as energetic crewmates that crowded around the small doctor, trying to gain some warmth from his furry body. Sakura smiled at their antics and thought of how comfortable they were with each other. They were just like family, from the way that they argued to the way that they huddled around each other. It made her feel nostalgic and she knew that she shouldn't do anything that could possibly bring them down. What made her feel worse was that her past was one of those things that would drag them down and possibly harm them.

The pinkette would be considered an escaped slave if any government or navy officials found out that she was still alive. They would do whatever it took to get her back and with them knowing her and her reputation, it would most likely be an admiral that they sent after her. Again. . . The Straw Hat crew wasn't strong enough to deal with that yet, she knew. So perhaps it would be better for them if she were to erase her past, but she couldn't do it herself. She would need their help. The first step toward that was to be upfront about it and she had something in mind that could erase the evidence of her being branded as a slave.

The sound of rustling had died down and it showed that the crew was beginning to go to sleep. She had to bring it up now before they set out in the morning. "Um, everyone. Can I tell you all something?"

That immediately caught the attention of everyone and all eyes turned to her, even ones that were previously closed. Sakura glanced over everyone with her brow furrowed and she could tell that they were waiting for her to say something. Vivi and Nami sat down beside each other to her left, Ace and Sanji to her right, and Luffy, Chopper, Usopp, and Zoro huddled together in front of her on the other side of the fire.

"What is it, Sakura?" Nami asked with a frown.

Vivi spoke up next with a matching frown, "You've been quiet ever since your friend left. Is something wrong?"

The pinkette shook her head slightly before looking down at the ground. Now, she felt it was more of an obligation to tell them than anything else. She didn't want to put them in needless danger while they were unaware of the risks of letting her travel with them. "I just thought that I should let you all know since you're letting me travel with you in order to accomplish my goal."

Sakura closed her eyes and added, "Before we get to a place where I can be recognized, I'd like to inform you all of the danger that comes with adding me into your little group."

"Danger?" Usopp said nervously, not liking the sound of it at all.

"What are you talking about?" Nami asked, not sure how such a little girl could bring about any sort of danger. Although, the cook a few yards from her could come up with a few scenarios why she would be dangerous to have around after witnessing her temper at work earlier that day in the bar.

Sakura opened her eyes and gazed down at the ground. She could tell that Ace most likely already knew what she was about discuss with the Straw Hat crew. "Two years ago, I was captured and sold off as a slave to someone of high ranking power." she began calmly with no hesitation in her voice, "Someone with more influence than the Fleet Admiral of the Navy himself."

She could sense the immediate tension in the air as multiple bodies stiffened at her statement, but no one interrupted her as she continued, "I was with him for a year and I was considered his prize possession for many reasons. That was until I freed most of his other slaves and he left me for dead." Despite her voice remaining calm and collected while she spoke, her insides twisted around each other and she felt her face heat at the memories. As long as she was remembering that fat, disgusting man, she could control herself. Although, it did still fill her with anger and a sense of humiliation. Above all that, the memories filled her with fear, but nothing like what she had endured with the man after that that had claimed her freedom.

"That's so horrible." Nami frowned.

Sakura looked up to meet Luffy's gaze, her brow furrowed and a frown adorning her soft lips. "They think that I'm dead, but if word got out that I'm alive, I'll be considered an escaped slave. The authorities won't rest until I'm recaptured and taken back to that man. They'll no doubt have more marines than usual at your heels because of me." The pinkette looked to the side solemnly and she gazed down at the ground while she fidgeted with the shirt in her lap. "You'll be taking a huge risk because of that and not to mention, the continent that I came from was sealed off because it was viewed as too dangerous."

The female frowned deeply at the captain when she looked back up, taking in his calm expression while everyone listened to her. "Before I was poisoned, I was renowned on my continent for my physical strength and healing abilities so when I crossed that border, the Government and Navy viewed me as an international threat. They will no doubt recognize me and attempt to capture me as well for that reason."

"You've been keeping low for the past two years by hopping from island to island without making much of a fuss." Ace said, bringing her attention to him and jade met black while a playful smirk crossed his features. "What makes you think that you'll mess that up now?"

Sakura lowered her gaze to the ground in front of her for a moment before she closed her eyes and an amused smile grazed her lips. "Luffy-sama reminds me of an old friend that always managed to attract everyone's attention and get into trouble all of the time." The female paused before adding softly, "And this crew feels so nostalgic to me. I can't bear to mess this up without everyone knowing."

Looking upward, she was met with the smiles of everyone looking at her, her expression once again serious. "So will you allow me to continue traveling with you even at such a high risk?"

"Of course." Luffy chirped, not at all caring what he might have to face in the future. He was just glad to have her along.

Sakura smiled gratefully at him and expressed her gratitude with, "Thank you." Then while holding onto Sasuke's sword and shirt, she stood up. "I do have a quick request before we start our day tomorrow."

Different sets of eyes blinked at her and many were curious as to what she wanted. She hadn't asked any of them to do anything for her since she got there. She just seemed so independent, unwilling to rely on anyone other than herself, and so confident. Right now, she was vulnerable and laying herself bare for them to see, though still managing to hide herself over a shroud of unwillingness to expose her secrets.

The pinkette lifted up her new sword for her to inspect it, finding it just right to get rid of the evidence of her horrid past. It wouldn't erase her memories, but it would get rid of such awful proof of her slavery. She had once been a slave to her feelings for Sasuke and was often left feeling helpless and unable to do anything in order to save him. She had overcome that however and it was only fitting that she used a tool that belonged to him to help her overcome this as well.

With her mind set, Sakura closed her eyes for a moment before looking at the swordsman, her eyes filled with determination and she didn't care about the pain that would assault her body if he agreed to her request. Lifting up the sword in front of her horizontally, she held it tightly and her face was undeterred, showing that she was serious. With her tone calm and collected, she let her request be known to everyone who was listening and they all knew that she was talking to Zoro.

"With this blade, I would like you to carve the mark of the slave out of my back."

 _~THE END OF CHAPTER SIX~_

Thank you everyone for reading. I hope you enjoyed it and please leave a review of what you think.


	8. The Mark's End

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or One Piece nor do I make any money from my writings.

A/N: Thank you all for the lovely reviews. Here is the next chapter and I hope everyone enjoys it.

Chapter Seven: The Mark's End

" _With this blade, I would like you to carve the mark of the slave out of my back."_

Everyone stared at the female in shock and if her expression weren't so serious, many of them would have thought that she was trying to be funny. The pinkette kept her gaze locked on the swordsman's, him being one of the few that regarded her calmly. Her request still hung in the air, leaving all of them to believe that she wasn't backing out of it. Although, just to be sure, someone finally spoke up with nervousness in his voice.

"Y-you can't be serious." Usopp stated, shivering at the thought of someone having their skin carved out and he couldn't suppress the images that came to mind of Zoro hacking up the small female.

"U-Usopp's right." Nami said, a sheepish frown on her lips while she held up her hands in front of her in almost a defensive manner. She didn't like the thought of that either. "There are other ways to get rid of a mark. Don't be too hasty."

Sakura dismissed the comments and concerned looks that she was receiving, keeping her stern gaze with the one that matched her own. She knew that he was bouncing the thought around in his mind and the moment that she had made her request clear, they had begun a silent battle of wills. She wanted the mark off of her, which would no doubt bring her a large amount of pain, and he didn't want to waste his time bringing pain to her if she couldn't handle it. He was testing her and her nerve to see if she would break. She could tell.

After another moment of anticipation, the swordsman let out a sigh before pushing himself to stand up. "Let's get this over with." he grunted while straightening all the way and he was met with various of shocked expressions.

"Zoro!" Nami yelled in disapproval while setting a glare at him, not because he might be humoring the pinkette, but because the navigator knew that he would actually cut a chunk out of the female if she was to ask. After all, the idiot almost cut off his own damn feet in order to try to escape from Mr. Three's candle trap.

Sanji stood up as Nami yelled and he set his own glare at the swordsman, his teeth gritted and fists clenched down by his sides. "There's no way in hell that I can allow you to do that!" he seethed, "Child or not, shes still a lady and I won't tolerate you cutting her up."

Zoro furrowed his eyebrows and scowled at the ones yelling at him and with a retort just as sharp as theirs, he asked, "Why the hell not?! It's what she wants and she asked me so just mind your business."

Vivi was the next to stand and with her arms in front of her in a defensive manner, she frowned at the swordsman and glanced frantically over the cook and navigator. "Everyone, please calm down. I'm sure we can sort this out rationally and figure out what to do."

The tension was thick in the air between the crew members, something that Sakura had expected would happen. Many of them were protective and liked to do things without much violence and to avoid whatever conflict that might occur, whereas Zoro and Luffy did things on instincts and without much thought. That was one of the reasons that she hadn't thought much about who should do it when deciding on Zoro. If she were worried about the pain or having more skin cut off of her than necessary, she would choose either Sanji or Chopper, but she knew that neither of them would be able to handle it. Neither of them would want to harm her and worry if they were being careful enough. Zoro didn't know the body as well as Chopper and he probably wasn't as skilled or delicate with blades as Sanji, but she trusted him a hell of a lot more with her back than Luffy.

The little doctor had his hooves on the captain's leg, looking at the unfolding scene with concern. "Luffy, do something to make them stop. Zoro doesn't need to do that."

"Zoro's right." Luffy replied calmly, earning the shocked reactions of the group that were standing against what the green haired man was planning on doing. His eyes were on Sakura and she looked at him in return before her expression softened slightly from the stern gaze to collected features.

"But Luffy," Usopp replied, "It's crazy. I mean, carving out someone's back. That's too much."

It was one of those rare moments that their captain seemed to turn more mature than he normally acted, somehow grasping a bigger picture than what others normally could. Sakura supposed that it was his instincts kicking in, rather than rational thought. "It doesn't matter. This is something that she wants to do to keep the crew safe and I won't stop it."

Many expressions fell at his words, including Sakura's and her gaze fell down to the ground, a frown on her lips. Something hung in the air after those words left his lips, almost as if something unspoken had been shared through all of their minds. Multiple eyes settled on the pinkette then and she felt the stares as they burned into her skin. She held Sasuke's sword down by her side and she gripped the sheathe tightly, feeling like she was being laid bare. Although normally, she wouldn't be ashamed to be naked in front of other people, but now she might as well have been since she felt like they were looking right into her soul.

It only took one look at her and everyone could tell that she wasn't only doing it for the crew, but for herself as well. The pinkette needed this, she needed to get rid of that mark on her back and to feel like she had some of her old life back. She needed to feel like a free person again in order to fully enjoy her life and not to be branded like some kind of horse. She wasn't anybody's property, damn it.

Sakura set her eyes forward and met the eyes of Zoro before she pulled Sasuke's sword up to her chest, reminding him of her decision. Without wasting anymore time, the swordsman began to walk forward and snatched up a piece of wood out of the fire pit to serve as a torch. He then walked passed the fire and toward the pinkette and she couldn't suppress a soft sigh from leaving her lips. His expression was stoic when he reached her and he glanced down at her before nodding his head into the direction behind her, where large boulders rested. Sakura nodded her head in understanding before she turned and followed him to the boulders. At least if he did it over there, they would be away from prying eyes and she knew that the sniper was already queezy from thinking about what was going to happen. It was for the best that they didn't watch.

The duo made it behind the rocks and the light that came from the torch could barely be seen from over the boulders when they stopped. The members that were standing previously began to sit down, their expressions solemn and defeated as they worried over the small female.

"Don't worry about it too much." Ace spoke up, the only one among them with a semblance of a smile on his lips. Everyone looked over at him and before anyone could speak up, he added, "She's a lot stronger than anyone gives her credit for."

Luffy perked up in curiosity at something that many of them were curious about, something that they had surprisingly avoided beforehand. "Hey Ace, how do you two know each other?"

"You mean me and Sakura?"

"Yeah. You said that you were old friends, but that was it."

Ace had to hand it to his little brother. Normally the rubber boy had no talent at deception, but he was putting up one hell of an act. Then again, Luffy cared a great deal about his friends, especially his siblings, and they were intent on keeping that promise from all those years ago. . . He must have been devastated when he realized that the girl didn't remember them at all from that time and Ace had no doubt that Luffy was using every last fiber of his being and will power to keep from throwing himself at the pinkette in an attempt to embrace her like he had done so many times before.

The fire user lowered his head more, his hat covering his dark eyes and a deep smile, almost resembling a grin, on his lips. "I met her two years ago on the other half of the Grand Line." he started with everyone present listening attentively. "She was a lot skinnier then and looked close to dying when the Captain found her. She was small, but far from fragile and the crew instantly took a liking to her."

Ace felt fondness in him as he recalled the memories of two years ago and he let them be known to everyone around him, "I, on the other hand, didn't care much for her and found myself avoiding her at all costs."

The comment surprised them, everyone except Luffy. With him being with the older male since a young age, he knew how Ace was and wasn't surprised that he would avoid someone. After all, it probably hurt him to see her. . .

"What for?" Nami asked.

Usopp commented next, "She was a child. Why would anyone avoid her?"

"There was just something about her." Ace added, "She made me nervous at first, to be honest. Every time she looked at me, I felt like she could see through me and there was something dangerous about her that always put me on edge." It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the entire truth either. Something about her had changed that had unsettled him.

The two females in the group looked at each other knowingly, having experienced that same feeling themselves the first time that they had spoken to the pinkette. Ace glanced upward and saw the exchanged looks between the females and couldn't help the smirk that grazed his mouth. It seemed that Sakura had that effect on other people as well.

Lowering his gaze, he continued, "Although, I wasn't able to avoid her for long thanks to my nosey crewmates."

"What happened?" Chopper asked and like Luffy and Usopp beside him, he was engrossed into the story that the oldest male of the group was telling. The blonde cook was also interested in hearing it and was silently surprised that their loud mouthed captain was sitting still and listening. Normally, Luffy wouldn't care about what happened in somebody's past, but it seemed this case was an exception. The enigma of the newest 'member' of their group knowing his older brother, Sanji supposed it was expected for Luffy to be interested in something like that.

"I was locked up in one of the cellars with her for a few hours." he answered, "It was really awkward at first until she practically demanded that I talk to her. An argument happened, but I can't remember what it was about."

Ace lifted up his head and one of his eyes was visible as he looked up at Luffy, smirking. "She wouldn't stand for me trying to avoid her and wouldn't leave me alone until I talked with her."

Luffy smiled in return and was reminded of when they were children. He had practically done the same thing with Ace when they first met. Also hearing that Sakura was the one that approached Ace brought relief to him. Despite having lost her memories of them, she was keeping well on her promise as well. Neither of the brothers thought that she was aware of the memory loss of that time, but it brought them joy that they had met her again.

"How long did it take for that to happen?" Sanji asked before taking his cigarette out of his mouth and rubbing it on the bottom of his shoe to put it out. He then rested his arms over his knees and his hands dangled in front of him while his legs were pulled upward.

"We talked for hours in that cellar." Ace said, looking down at the ground with a soft smile. "It didn't take much for her to win me over though when she smiled at me. It might sound embarrassing, but the way she looked at me and the way she smiled, like she was accepting me for me, it could make the most hateful man soften up."

Everyone smiled at that, being able to imagine how that would happen. None of them could argue that Sakura was a cute girl and even with something frightful lying dormant underneath her, she still managed to appear gentle and kind while carrying around an air of wisdom and understanding with her.

"She told me of her past without expecting the same out of me." the fire user said before looking up at the sky. "She's been through a lot and has overcome pain that most people couldn't even dream of enduring, but despite that, she keeps living."

Ace glanced over everyone and added, "Anyone can tell by looking at the scars on her body that she's been through hell and back. Give the young lady some credit."

~SCENE CHANGE~

Zoro had to give the female some credit. He knew that what he did had to be painful, yet she took every moment of it without even flinching once. He had gotten a good look at her back, neck, arms, and waist while he was fulfilling her request and he was surprised by the number of scars that adorned her pale skin. They were proof that she had been through countless painful situations in life and the fact that she didn't seem affected by the pain further proved that she was dangerous. Despite that though, he had grown a level of respect for her. If she was going to use that sword as a weapon from then on, he would have to challenge her once she grew some. Sparring definitely wasn't out of the question.

After he was finished, he had asked Chopper for some cloth and bandages before wiping off the blood that flowed down her back. He was more accustomed to taking off bandages rather than putting them on, but he had helped her anyway. She wouldn't be twisting around or bending over anytime soon and she sure as hell wouldn't be pulling any crazy stunts for a while. That much was for certain.

The swordsman was reluctant at first to do what she asked, but he had been moved by her silent conviction, although he would never admit it. He would admit, however, that the girl did have some balls. Not many would willingly sit there and have a mark carved out of their back, let alone not show an ounce of pain. Even while they returned back to the camp, she didn't show that she was in any sort of discomfort, which had earned the surprise of many of the crew members.

While she had sat down calmly next to the oldest male of the group, with a gentle smile playing at her lips, Sanji couldn't help but gape slightly at her, his newly lit cigarette hanging loosely in his mouth. Zoro had returned to his previous spot before he had left and entered a small, casual conversation with the straw hat wearing captain while Usopp looked at the ground as if he were about to throw up. The two female teenagers glanced over the pinkette as she quietly talked with the fire user, both of them silently impressed by her, though still incredulous that she had willingly gone through such a thing.

Not everyone was as understanding of her spirit as the few male warriors of the group. Chopper kept glancing over her expression and posture, trying to gauge if she were in a large amount of pain and if Zoro had unintentionally damaged her back to the point of something being permanent. It was difficult to judge, considering her tolerance for pain, but since she wasn't at least flinching whenever she moved around, he assumed that she was fine. He would make her some ointment for it when they got back to the ship.

The silent commotion of what happened died down quickly and within minutes, they had all retreated back into their respective tents to sleep the night away. Much to Nami and Vivi's disapproval, Sakura had decided to sleep inside of the boys' tent, choosing to sleep next to Ace. The females had tried persuading her to sleep with them, but as they were beginning to learn with each passing moment, the pinkette was too stubborn to be persuaded out of doing something that she wanted. As a result, she had slept with her head planted firmly into the dark haired male's lap while she held Chopper's body close to her chest. Neither of them had any protests against it, Ace being used to her being affectionate while she slept, and Chopper realizing that she sought out his warmth in a search of comfort.

Luffy had ended up getting tangled up with the trio during the middle of the night and his legs had tangled around hers in an absurd manner while his arm stretched outward across her head. His hand dangled in her face while her back was faced toward him and he laid on his back. His loud snores echoed throughout the tent and ricocheted off of the material before attacking her ears. Sakura could vaguely remember grumbling his name before shoving him away from her, causing him to roll over and assault a blonde cook with his flimsy limbs before he was shoved away with a grunt. The low sound of chuckling vibrating from the male above her that she had fallen asleep against was the last thing that she had heard before she drifted off to sleep once again.

~SCENE CHANGE~

" _Sakura."_

 _The small female tensed when she heard her name being uttered by a masculine voice, though it was soft and gentle. Turning her head, her wide, jade eyes settled on the lone figure sitting behind her. His dark eyes were solemn while he frowned down at her, an expression of his sympathy for the grief that she felt. Black hair fell over his forehead, tousled from the deep slumber he had been in moments before. He was sitting up in his bed and the sheet that had been covering his body previously rested around his hips, showing off the toned skin of his bare torso._

" _Did I wake you?" she asked softly._

" _Its fine." the dark haired male replied and scooted over on his futon to make room for the small female. He gestured by waving his hand toward the female, showing her that it was alright for her to come closer to him. Without missing a beat, Sakura climbed her way up further onto the bed. Sliding underneath the thin sheet, she rested her body into the futon and laid her head on the pillow that the male was willing to share with her._

 _Jade eyes looked ahead of her into onyx, as if searching for something. Both expressions were relaxed and the male had his arm under his head, prepping it up slightly. With both of their heads on the small pillow, they were less than a foot away from each other. The close proximity didn't bother either of them. In fact, neither of them seemed to notice how close they were to each other and in some ways, there was an unsettling feeling that they were too far away from each other._

 _Ace continued to stare into those large eyes that he thought were undoubtedly beautiful. They were so close to him, and yet so far away. She looked straight at him, but he knew that she couldn't truly see him. There was enough light in the room that he resided in on his captain's ship, the soft flickers of candle light coming from his desk on the other side of the room._

 _Even if she was looking right at him, the fact that she didn't remember their past together was enough to put a damper on the fire user's mood. Her vision was clouded by the thick fog in her memories. All of that time she had spent with him and his brother when they were young, all of it. . . It wasn't there. She didn't remember._

 _However, she still wanted to be close to him. She still wanted to form some sort of bond with him. That alone was enough for him for right now. It couldn't be helped if she didn't remember; he told himself that, but. . . He hoped that one day. . . From some miracle, she would remember._

 _He wanted her to remember. . ._

 _Remember the times they shared, remember the promises that they made, remember everything. Ace watched as the pinkette fluttered her eyes closed, slowly succumbing to sleep. A soft smile adorned the male's lips, affection in his gaze and he didn't hesitate to reach forward and gently stroke the female's cheek with his fingers. He would be content for now, although he knew that he would want more in the future._

 _To watch Luffy become the pirate king and to see Sakura carry on their name by his younger brother's side; that is what he was looking forward to the most. The pinkette told him that she wanted to return home to her shinobi village once she was cured, but the fire user knew better. He had no doubt that she would one day return to her people, but she wouldn't stay there. Fate had other things in store for her, he knew, and she would rise up to greatness with loved ones by her side._

The morning had her waking up first and the sight of the swordsman and cook sleeping in close proximity of each other had brought curiosity to the pinkette's mind. Of course, she knew that they wouldn't be laying only inches from each other if they were awake. They would no doubt scream at each other if they were to awaken like that and the thought brought a soft, amused smile to her lips.

After having left the tent shortly before the sun began to rise, Sakura began looking around the area. With her new sword held tightly to her waist by the sash tied around her, her jade eyes were calm and collected while she walked behind the rocks that decorated the area around their campsite. A frown slowly curved her lips as she thought back to the conversation she had with Kankuro the previous day. His words played over and over again in her mind and before she knew it, she had gotten a bit far away from the campsite. Her eyes trailed back to it while she stopped her feet and the wind gently blew passed her, caressing her long, pink tresses. She wasn't that far away, she could still see it. It only had to be a mile long trek, she would be fine.

Continuing on her short journey, she walked briefly toward the side where a large boulder rested and she used what little strength her body was capable of producing to pull herself up onto it. It was a short climb up to the peak thirty feet in the air and she made it safely to the top. Even if she couldn't use her chakra, she was still able to do small things such as climbing without any problem. Of course, that didn't stop the tiny protest that her back gave as the freshly cut skin ached with each stretch of her body. Once reaching the top, she sat down on the hard surface and folded her legs in front of her. Placing her hands on her legs, her jade eyes set on the horizon in front of her. Though she glanced over the desert lands, her mind didn't focus on it.

" _I knew that you lost your chakra, but don't tell me that you've lost your mind also." Kankuro argued with her, his eyes pleading with her to reconsider what she was planning to do. Of course, he would still need to grant her request in order for her to do it in the first place. As it were at that moment, he had no intention of fulfilling it. For her to do something so ludicrous. . . He knew Sakura could be reckless, but this was just going too far. "If you go through with this, Sakura, you_ will _die."_

 _The former kunoichi kept her gaze lowered down to the ground in a moment of uncertainty. She was frowning deeply, her pink brows were furrowed, and she had a look of defeat in her eyes. That had Kankuro's expression softening, if only slightly. She was usually so confident in herself, never questioning her intentions or obligations. It was only when she was struggling internally with something when she lost that confident demeanor._

" _I know that, but. . ." Sakura trailed off before glancing over to the side, where her eyes landed on a female with a head of blue hair. She was talking with Nami, her body slightly tense with the situation they were in, but with a genuine smile on her face. The pinkette had watched her closely while they traveled ever since she found out about her lineage and she had found out that the princess wasn't as hard to be around as she first thought it would be. However, Kankuro wasn't aware of what had happened to her since she had left her village seven years ago. She couldn't explain to him about the Celestial Dragons. She couldn't let anyone from her home continent know about that._

 _Of course, she could give him another reason why she wanted to do this. A valid reason. A reason that overthrew her desire to live, to find Law. Sakura still wanted that, but she wanted to help the people of this country even more. It was the medic in her that screamed and ached for her to do something for them, to stop the bloodshed and agony that would come with the war that would surely happen. She could feel it, she knew it was going to happen. It made her skin prickle and her blood boil, she could sense the future rise of chaos slowly etching its way closer. However, she couldn't tell the princess that. All she could do was set her goal aside and lay her life on the line to help her new comrades. They were trying to save this country, so she would do everything in her power to help them and deep down, she wanted to feel of use to them in some way with her weakened body._

 _Although, there was another reason. Sakura knew what it was like to watch loved ones die right in front of her, not being able to do anything to save them. She had taken a small liking to the princess before she realized it and she didn't want anyone to go through that kind of agony. It was that that had set her decision in stone. At least, that's what she told herself._

" _I want to help these people. I don't want their deaths on her hands." she replied finally, her eyes taking on a glow that the puppet master recognized completely and he knew that he wouldn't be able to talk her out of it._

 _That wouldn't stop him from trying one last time though. "Even if it means your own death?"_

 _Sakura slowly closed her eyes and she felt a light fluttering circle around her heart. For the first time in a long time, she felt free to choose her own decisions. There were no orders coming from clients, no instructions being yelled out in order to save patients in time, and no expectations to be had of her. Even her quest for Law was something that fate had chosen her to do. She had to find him in order to procure her own life and it was her stubbornness to find him that had kept her going. There would be no fat men shouting out orders at her. No pirates locking her up and forcing her to tell them things that she didn't even know._

 _This was the only thing that she would be able to do of her own complete, free will and that made her want to do it even more. A soft, yet heartfelt, smile slowly grazed her lips and if she were able to see her face, she would be able to see how relaxed and gentle her features were. "Yes."_

 _However, she was unaware of the dark and sad gleam deep within her eyes. There was something there that Kankuro could see and if he hadn't known the pinkette since the time that they were children, he wouldn't have been able to pick up on it. It told him the truth, something that even the very owner of those eyes didn't comprehend. She most likely wasn't even aware of it, but it was that emotion hidden in her eyes that reassured him that he would see this female again in the future. It reassured him that he could grant her task and not have to worry what the outcome would be. It was while he was leaving that he silently prayed that that cheerful captain of the group he had caught sight of would be able to help her before it was too late. He hoped that it wouldn't come down to Sakura giving up her life just like that after she had spent years of struggling just to live._

With calm feet, Sakura made her way back to the campsite and the closer she got, she could see that a few of the crew members were awake. From the sounds of it, one of them was Luffy and it brought a renewed smile to her lips. Quickly reaching them, she watched in slight amusement while Luffy was kneeling down and holding up the tail of what was no doubt a scorpion.

"Ahh! I found a shrimp!" the captain exclaimed in excitement.

Chopper, who had been by his side, held out his arms and smiled in interest. "You sure it's a shrimp? That's neat."

Usopp made it to the duo while the pinkette continued walking toward them. His voice was filled with doubt, but still held a level of interest as he slouched over slightly and said, "Shrimp don't live in the desert."

Luffy immediately jumped around to face them and he held up the red creature for them to inspect it. "Look." he said, smiling.

"I stand corrected. It's a desert shrimp." the sniper replied, his own smile at his lips.

Sakura couldn't help but let out a small laugh at their antics. Never before had she heard a conversation like this one and it didn't fail to amuse her greatly. The trio looked over at her as she stopped shortly behind Chopper and her smile was directed at Luffy as she began, "Luffy-sama, that's a scorpion."

The male lowered it a bit and frowned in return. "It's not a shrimp?" Sakura shook her head before he added with a bright smile, "Is it edible?"

The pinkette let out a sigh before making her way to him, her air of calmness never leaving her as she added, "You probably don't want to eat it." Stopping beside him, she smiled down at him. "It's filled with poison and can kill you if you get stung by that stinger." Of course, she knew that scorpions could be eaten and water could be extracted from it, but it was too small to do him any good.

Luffy immediately frowned at the information as if he were now bored by the creature he held in his grasp, an expression that momentarily surprised the pinkette. A more normal reaction were the ones that Usopp and Chopper had; they flinched backward from them in fear.

"Oh." the captain grumbled, "I don't want it anymore then." The next moment, he flung it behind him before it started scurrying off to a safe haven away from the straw hat wearing male. Jade eyes followed the small creature and she couldn't blame it from running away from the male. Although, she silently wished that he hadn't thrown it off. She would have been able to extract the poison from it for something useful. Then again, she wouldn't exactly be needing it with what she had planned for in the near future.

It was then that Vivi came out of her tent and Sakura turned to see her walking out while rubbing the sleep from her eyes. The pinkette's expression straightened out and turned stoic before it fell slightly as she thought back to her decision. Sakura then lowered her head and closed her eyes while she smiled. How ironic things have turned out. The human heart was a fickle thing.

"Oi, Sakura."

Said female turned her attention to the fire user stepping out of the boys' tent, a black cloth in his grasp while he smiled at her. Lifting it up toward her, he said, "I think this belongs to you."

Jade eyes instantly widened as she realized what it was and she smiled sheepishly as she ran over to him. Stopping in front of him, she took the cloth from him while smiling gratefully up at him. "Thank you."

Ace nodded in return and watched as she safely placed the cloth inside of her shirt. He knew it was important to her, having been told that it was a shirt that belonged to her husband. He was aware of Sakura's past, who she was, what she did, how she lived and who with. He knew just about everything of her life before she left her continent and though she wasn't physically strong enough to live up to what she told him, he could see that she told him the truth just by looking at her eyes and body. He had been able to tell the shirt belonged to her husband by looking at the crest on the back of it.

The two of them turned their attention toward the horizon when the sound of strong wind came to their ears. Sakura frowned as she made out the sight of sand moving around in fierce circles in the distance. "Heh, it looks like the wind is picking up." Ace stated with his usual smile.

"It's a sandstorm." Sakura added quietly after a moment and the outlines of the small twisters became clearer the closer they got.

Within moments of Vivi yelling for everyone to hide behind the rocks and the storm getting closer to them, Sakura noticed the awed and curious expression of the fire user beside her. "You certainly look like you're enjoying this." she told him, which caused his grin to broaden on his freckled face. Although he didn't reply as the storm got even closer and he scooped her up into his muscled arms, moving quickly. Sakura grabbed a hand full of his clothes above her and her back pressed into the sandy ground underneath her. Her eyes were clenched shut and she didn't need them to see in order to know that Ace was kneeling above her protectively, one arm wrapped around her body and holding her close to him while the other was bracing himself against the ground as the storm assaulted them.

Wind whipped around them viciously, causing sand to slide over their bodies before shortly covering them. Sakura's ears burned with the harsh sound of the wind screaming at them and she wondered how the ones in the tents were holding up in the storm. She was sure that she would have been blown away if it weren't for the hard body above her. Much to her chagrin, she had been told by the swordsman that she actually weighed less than their furry doctor and that she should start eating more now that she had the chance.

Long moments passed by and Sakura could feel the weight above her had increased and when she tried looking around, all she could see was darkness. A very little amount of oxygen found its way into her nose, along with a greater amount of sand. They had been buried. Staying calm, she waited until Ace pushed himself up out of the sand, holding onto her back the entire time. He did not disappoint and within seconds, he did so and large amounts of sand fell from his body on all sides of him. He then pulled her up with him and though she was covered with it, not as much sand fell from her petite body as his.

"Are you alright?" he asked, a small smile forming on his lips and it deepened at her returned gesture and a nod of her head.

The pinkette brushed herself off as they stood and Ace quickly made his way over toward Vivi, who was lying down on the ground. Glancing around, Sakura watched as the crew members began emerging from the sand. The sun was in the sky by that time, showing that some time had passed since the storm hit. Letting out a sigh, Sakura began to walk toward the others and she had a nagging feeling in her gut that something was off and there was the suspicion that it had to do with that storm.

 _~END OF CHAPTER SEVEN~_

Thank you all for reading and please review.


	9. Questioning Ideals

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece nor Naruto and I do not make any money from my writings.

Thank you guys so much for the reviews. Please enjoy this chapter.

BloodyLoved – To answer your question, I'll leave that to your imagination for now. Don't want to give out any spoilers and soften any angst I might have later on. Mwuhahaha. Thanks for the review and please enjoy.

Chapter Eight: Questioning Ideals

Two sets of feet stood in the middle of a clear area as sand blew gently passed them. There weren't any rocks or the occasional plant that could be seen as a marker, just an endless plain of sand. The sun was set overhead, marking it as late afternoon.

"I think we're lost." the female calmly stated as her jade eyes looked ahead of her.

"I think you might be right." the male replied, a frown adorning his features as he looked ahead of him as well.

How it happened, neither of them were sure, but they had somehow gotten separated from the rest of the group. Of course, it didn't help that Sakura was too preoccupied with her thoughts to pay much attention. She had followed the closest person to her, making sure to stay within a certain perimeter of them, which had been Ace of all people. How he managed to get lost, she didn't know.

The next moment, the sand behind them began to stir and they turned before watching a scorpion slowly rise up from the ground. Sakura had to lean her head back as she watched the creature rise and her jade eyes widened in awe as it finished, towering over them completely.

"Its huge." she stated, the amazement clear in her voice as Ace smiled before chuckling at her, the pinkette unaware of the fact that she had just reminded him of the rambunctious male that they had previously been following around.

He held his arm out in front of her while the scorpion lowered it's stinger above their heads. "Stand back and let me take care of this."

"Alright." the pinkette replied and started stepping back before something caught the corner of her eye. Turning her head back, Sakura spotted what looked like an odd type of lizard and it had instantly captured her curiosity. Leaving Ace to fight off the large scorpion, the small female made her way over toward the odd creature, sliding down a sand slope before she pressed her feet down on firm ground once again. She quickly made her way over toward it and stopped once she was a few yards in front of it.

It was purple with a yellow underbelly that went under it to the back of it's tail and up to it's mouth, dark purple spots aligned the side of it with red scales going down it's back from head to tail, and large eyes. It held it's hands up loosely in front of it and if it was able to produce any sort of expression, she would describe it as dreary. Tilting her head to the side, the pinkette watched the large lizard do the same as it stood at least three times her height in front of her.

Sakura continued to regard it curiously while Ace had finished setting fire to the large scorpion. It burned with a bright, red color and collapsed onto the ground. The easy victory brought a broad smile to the fire user's mouth. "I warned you." he stated before he turned around and held out his arms to the side in a showy manner, his eye closed with that same, broad smile on his lips. "Did you see that, Sakura? Were you impressed?"

The male opened his eyes when he didn't get a reply and he was surprised to see that the spot he had expected her to be in was empty. Looking around frantically, he spotted her off to the side and sighed at her and the silent staring contest that she was seemingly having with the creature before her. "I should have known." he mumbled with a sheepish grin before he made his way over toward her. She was as unpredictable as his younger brother whenever she wanted to be. He would leave her in one place and she'd show up in another. He should have been used to that by now.

Sakura turned her gaze back toward the dark haired male as he slid down the slope and she raked her eyes up toward the scorpion that was steaming from the heat that previously attacked it. "Oh, Ace-sama." she said before looking back at him as he now walked toward her. "You killed that giant scorpion. Good job."

"Gee, thanks." he replied with his eyes closed and he had that sheepish grin back on his face. He could tell that her words were genuine, but he would have felt more gratified if she had said them after having watched him kill the large creature.

Stopping beside her, he looked at the lizard before them and though it was much smaller than the scorpion, it still stood a few feet taller than him. "What is this thing? Your new friend?"

Sakura turned her eyes from him and onto the questioned reptile. "Not likely. Although, its curious, isn't it?"

"It is." he confirmed before stepping forward, only for the purple creature to step in his way. Ace immediately stopped his advance and frowned at the lizard. Neither of them saying anything about the action, the fire user felt jade eyes watching them curiously as he tried stepping to the side, only for the lizard to step back in front of him with it's same dreary expression.

Sakura couldn't suppress an amused chuckle as she watched the duo repeat their actions and she could tell that Ace was getting extremely irritated with the creature. It seemed her amusement at what was happening only fueled the male's irritation and most likely turned into embarrassment as he gritted his teeth and red tinted his cheeks. The next instant, he was pulling his fist back toward the creature with fire blazing from his arm and he grumbled out a few obscenities as he prepared to strike the creature.

The pinkette immediately jumped up toward his arm and wrapped her arms around his elbow before pulling his fist back. Her eyes were clenched closed and she held onto him tightly. "No, Ace-sama!"

The dark haired man released his flames so that they wouldn't burn the girl clinging to his arm, but he still held his fist in the air, eager to get this reptile out of his way. "This stupid lizard is mocking me."

"That's no reason to kill it." she replied, "Its not hurting you." She knew that he wouldn't kill the poor thing since it didn't actually pose a threat to either of them, but that wouldn't stop the fire user from beating the hell out of it to get it out of his path.

It was then that a river of tears began to slide from both of the lizard's eyes and both of them were surprised momentarily by the sudden change. Ace lowered his fist with a sigh, "Fine."

Sakura smiled softly before walking toward the lizard and instead of moving in front of her to block her path, it stayed still while she made her way to it's side. The difference in reaction toward them had Ace frowning disapprovingly, though he made no move to let that emotion be known other than folding his arms over his chest. The pinkette stood beside the large lizard and placed her hands on it's sun-kissed skin while she smiled up at it. "Besides, I think its cute."

"Of course you would." he replied with a smirk.

"I wonder if he would let us ride on his back to the next town."

 _~SCENE CHANGE~_

" _Where is Law?"_

" _I don't know."_

" _If you value your life, you'd stop lying to me."_

" _I told you I don't know where he is!"_

 _The sound of cracking echoed throughout the room and it brought upon a fresh sting and left behind a red, sensitive mark. It also brought upon a gasp, but the female had gritted her teeth and stopped herself from letting it out. "I don't know." she repeated more softly._

" _You were seen together with him."_

" _I've never met him." she retorted and her heart ached more than her body at his words. It pained her to hear that she had been with him at one point in time when she knew that she hadn't met him. If she had, she wouldn't be in the position she was in now. She would be back in Konoha, with her family and friends, smiling happily amongst them and healing the wounds on people that were more humane than the ones that her body adorned._

" _That boy left our family with something important. I have to find him."_

 _His words caused a defiant smirk to form on the pinkette's features as a sickly feeling curled in the pit of her stomach. "I can't blame him with the way you describe a 'family'."_

 _The man in front of her scowled coldly at her as she continued, her voice low and gruff from the dryness of her throat, "A family shouldn't have to torture their young ones in order to gain their respect. It should be earned through example, not fear." Blood rolled down the side of the female's mouth as she looked up and met cold eyes glaring at her from behind a pair of pink sunglasses. "The people following you aren't 'family'. They're nothing more than simple lackeys that either can't think for themselves or don't have anywhere else to go because they don't know what a true home is like." The young girl watched as a vein stood out on the blonde man's forehead and she could see that he was infuriated by her, but that didn't stop her from defiantly adding with a smirk, "Its pathetic."_

 _What happened next became a blur of her body being jerked around and pain assaulting her, causing her consciousness to shut down in order to handle everything. Although, she was certain that she had bled the most that night judging from the pile of dried crimson spread across the floor of her cell. She wasn't able to move at all for the next few days and for her to move properly took weeks. The pain had been excruciating but the look of pure rage spread over that man's face had made it worth it. Sakura could vaguely remember hearing the guards and their usual comments about her. They would always pass by her and remind her of her position and that she was going to die soon. It also reminded her that she had to survive to escape from this as she had done so once before. She had to live in order to find Law._

 _~SCENE CHANGE~_

Jade orbs slowly opened and the memories that her dream brought her left her feeling cold. It was only a moment before the warmth from the body in front of her began to enter her chest and it had her eyes fluttering all the way open. The early signs of morning light assaulted her vision and she tightened her hold on the person before her as she straddled his back, strong arms tightening his hold underneath her backside in return.

Sakura made no sound to announce that she had awoken on their journey and she paid no heed to the vibrations of the lizard running underneath them. Instead, she thought back to the dream that she had awoken from. Although the memories still brought on nightmares and restless nights, they weren't as bad as they used to be and it was then that she realized that.

The dreams would always prey on her fractured and aching soul, leaving her to feel vulnerable and empty like she had back when it was actually happening. It was then that she had realized that the nightmares had slowed down it's coarse when she had become friends with the man carrying her. She was grateful toward him for the times that they were able to sit down and talk about what haunted her. Although, it had helped her, it hadn't healed her.

Nonetheless, she had something else ebbing at her consciousness. Another day had passed and that meant that she was one day closer to her demise. Closing her eyes, Sakura tried to squish down the tears that she felt threatening to flow and ultimately, a small smile formed on her lips. She would have to enjoy the warmth that this man provided her as long as she had the chance to. She would have to enjoy the scents around her and take in the sights that this desert had to offer her while she was able. It was odd, yet she found nothing more gratifying at the moment. The first place where she had to see a comrade die was in the desert and now this would be her resting place.

The only issue now was to decide whether she would die with regrets or not. . . She hadn't exactly lived her life to the fullest. That was something that she decided to do once she joined the Straw Hats. All she had known her life was fighting and trying to survive, but this little bit of time spent with this crew had been enlightening and in that little bit of time, she had smiled more with them than she had done in years. She was beginning to live again by watching the small arguments that they had, the witty comments of some few, and the way that they crowded around each other. She was able to breathe and laugh again.

However, she couldn't get rid of her old ways. She wasn't a pirate, she was a shinobi. The proof of that was branded into the flesh of her right shoulder, but even if she knew that she wasn't really a part of their group, she couldn't help but feel remorse for what she was planning to do. Deep down, Sakura knew that she wouldn't be able to do it if she had truly smiled while with them. If she had been able to summon a true happiness from the pit of her soul and brought it out for everyone to see, she wouldn't be able to lay her life on the line so easily. She wouldn't die for them so easily.

Sakura would want to live alongside them.

How ironic this was. She spent seven years searching for Law, overcoming death just in order to survive and now she was choosing to die before she even found him. She was choosing to die in order to save people that she didn't even know, all for the sake of a princess of a race that she despised with every fiber of her being.

Sakura shoved her thoughts aside as they made their way into a town and the pinkette left the lizard and fire user to seek out a tavern out of habit. It wasn't until she found one that she realized it, but she went inside nonetheless. Quickly going toward the board filled with bounties on it, her eyes searched for only one and she dismissed the rest of her surroundings almost completely. When she couldn't find the man's name, she felt disappointment tear at her, though she wasn't sure why. She had already made her decision. So why was she still looking for his poster?

With a deep frown, the pinkette left the tavern without a word, not even bothering to speak to the bartender about who she was looking for after her last episode at the previous bar. Her head was lowered down to the ground, her mind filled with her thoughts about her situation. She should have been paying attention to where she was going and if she was focusing even remotely at what was going on around her, she would have been surprised that she didn't run into someone. She would have also been looking for Ace if she remembered that she left him without a word of where she was going to after he had let her off his back. Even if she didn't know where he would be, it wouldn't be hard to find him. All she had to do was look for the place that had the most food and he would be there.

What happened next came out of nowhere, making her stomach do flip-flops and her mind reel. The overwhelming urge to vomit hit her, but she managed to calm it down. A feeling that she wasn't by far used to washed over her and she couldn't put a name on it. It felt like she was being pulled back somewhere, but nothing was touching her body. What was happening?

Her jade eyes were clenched tightly shut and the pinkette waited for whatever it was that was happening to her to end. She didn't have time to question if she had been attacked or stepped on some sort of trap before she felt everything around her calm down. Her body was sensitive and she felt that the atmosphere around her had changed drastically. Instead of the harsh and dry desert air she had been breathing in previously, the air was calm and still, clear of any natural elements.

She hadn't even been in the new space for a second before a pair of arms encircled around her and enveloped her completely. Her eyes immediately snapped open in alarm, wondering what the hell just happened. Looking over a shoulder that was clad with a black jacket, her eyes slowly widened at the sight in front of her.

A pair of hazelnut eyes were brimming with tears and a gentle, relieved smile rested on the lip-gloss coated mouth. A purple, rhombus that matched her own stood proudly on the woman's forehead and her blonde bangs were parted to each side that brought out the seal even more. Sakura could never forget that face. A face she hadn't seen in so long and the warm embrace around her was lost on her. She didn't even register the tears that slid down the side of her neck and soaked into the collar of her shirt.

Tears of her own began to slide down her face and her cheeks flushed. Her soft face began to scrunch up and her mind was running on overtime, but not as fast as her heart. Lifting up her hands, her arms folded over the shoulder that had a grasp around her shoulder. Sakura brought the small appendages to her chin as her bottom lip began to quiver slightly. She couldn't believe her eyes.

"Sh-Shishou. . ." she said weakly, softly.

First it was Kankuro and then Tsunade appeared in front of her, not to mention the person that obviously knew her since they had their arms wrapped around her shoulder and waist. The pinkette prayed that this wasn't a dream, but she couldn't for the life of her figure out how this happened.

"It's good to have you home Sakura." the blonde woman said softly and her eyes expressed how true those words were. The Fifth Hokage couldn't express how relieved she was to see that her protégé was alright.

Sakura lifted up her head slightly and as more tears slid down her cheeks, she let the reality of the situation sink in. Lowering her head down so that her bangs covered most of the upper half of her face, she clenched her eyes shut and lowered her hands to grip the arm wrapped around in front of her. "I'm home."

 _~SCENE CHANGE~_

It took a while for Sakura to calm down, having refused to believe that she was finally back in Konoha. She found out after she had stopped crying that it had been Ino that embraced her as soon as she appeared in the office of the Sixth Hokage. What had seemed unbelievable at first actually had a rather simple explanation to it.

" _I used a summoning jutsu to bring you here."_ Kankuro had said with a sly smile on his face and the dumbstruck look she had given him hadn't failed to amuse him. _"I put it on you during that hug."_

To say that Sakura wasn't impressed would have been an understatement. Despite being glad to have seen some of her loved ones, she spent close to ten minutes scowling at everyone in the room. They allowed it, mostly because they weren't sure what they should talk about first or what they should bring up. Of course, they were all sure that the pinkette still had her attitude and knew better from past experience not to mess with her when she was upset. That time had also allowed her to come to terms with what was going on, though Kankuro stating what he had done pretty much summed it up.

Her mind was still racing with questions however. Why did they bring her back here? How was she gonna get back to the others? Did she even want to go back? What was she going to do? What about her plan to save those citizens? What about Law?

No. . .

She couldn't think about him right now.

"We've found a cure for you." Tsunade stated calmly while she leaned against the front of the Hokage desk with her arms folded under her large breasts.

Sakura, who had been previously staring down at the ground in thought, looked up at the older woman, surprise written clearly across her face. Seven different pairs of eyes were on her in anticipation of her response. Kakashi was at his desk, sitting behind it in a cool demeanor with his elbows on the desk and his hands folded together in front of his covered chin. Naruto stood to the side with Sasuke, each with their own varied expressions of calmness and worry and Sakura hadn't failed to notice that Sasuke was the only one who had seemed to be the most reserved when she returned.

Also to the side, but closer to the Hokage's desk stood Kankuro, his arms lowered by his sides calmly. Ino stood next to Shizune on the opposite side of the males, the former holding her hands to her chest while the latter held her faithful pig Tonton in her arms. Sakura had glanced over each of them and they all looked older, more mature. Then again, it had been seven years. That was a long time for someone to grow, but thankfully, not much had changed about their appearances and they looked healthy enough.

The pinkette let the words that Tsunade told her sink in. They found a cure for her? Was that why they brought her back. So, what? Was she just supposed to forget everything that had happened while she was gone? She didn't know what to do so she just stood there, her eyes never leaving hazelnut ones. She really was glad to be home, but was that it?

Sakura had returned home against her will and as a failure. She didn't ask to be brought back and she hadn't wanted to until after she was cured. Law was supposed to cure her, not them, but here they were. . . looking at her with such expectant gazes. What was she supposed to say? 'Thank you'? For what? For forcing her into a situation that she hadn't wanted to be in? She wasn't supposed to be here. But then where? Where was she supposed to be?

Jade eyes glazed over in thought as they lowered down to the ground in front of small feet. Words floated around in the air between her and whoever was talking, but they didn't register in her mind. Her arms hung limply by her sides and she blinked slowly, her body losing it's weight and making her feel empty.

What was wrong with her? Wasn't she supposed to be happier? She could live as a shinobi again and she was finally home. So why wasn't she relieved? In the back of her mind, the images of several people made themselves known, along with a sense of impending doom. Guilt sat deep inside of her stomach, but what for? She felt relieved that her life could be spared, but why?

She asked herself those questions, but she already knew the answers. It was because she didn't accomplish her goal. It was because she didn't have her honor. She promised Nami that she would travel with them. She wanted to talk more with Ace and witness more of Luffy's ridiculous antics. She promised Vivi that she would help save her people, but most of all. . .

Sakura was scared. . .

Her body didn't tremble and her teeth didn't rattle. Tears didn't fall and her legs didn't give out. She didn't show any sign of it, but she was scared. The pinkette had no doubt that dying for a loved one wasn't frightening to her at all, but this was different. She hadn't even realized it until she took this chance to look deeper inside of her mind and heart. Now with the chance that she could live, she couldn't help but question herself and everything that she stood for until now.

The people of Alabasta meant nothing to her. She didn't know them and she sure as hell didn't owe them anything, let alone her life. There was something in her head telling her that she didn't need to throw her life away. To live. Sakura was scared of dying for that unknown country, but. . .

A bright smile appeared in the forefront of her mind, accompanied by blue hair and grey eyes. It seemed that the princess had grown on the pinkette more than she had originally thought. She never pictured herself as the type to trust easily, but apparently she was, at least on some degree.

Nonetheless, she still didn't want to die now that she was able to think on her own without the constant reminder of the desert and it's sufferings. After all, who did? She thought she had prepared herself to sacrifice her life for those people, but she wasn't prepared at all.

Typical. . . When it really came down to what was important, she was losing her nerve. Again. Just like all those years ago with Sasuke.

Closing her eyes and furrowing her brow, small fists clenched down by her sides. Sakura was at least relieved to realize her lack of conviction now before it was too late, but that still didn't change how awful it was.

And what about Law? After seven years, after all she had been through, it took a dying country to make her turn away from him. What the hell was wrong with her? All of that suffering would have been for nothing. The former kunoichi knew that it was ridiculous to feel this way, but a sense of betrayal on her part fell upon her. Was her devotion to the journey to this man really that weak? If so, then what had she been doing? She didn't deserve to be cured by him. . . but that still didn't stop her from wanting it done.

There was a cure right in front of her, the option to have it done and over with was within her former master. It was so close and yet so far away. So tempting and so painful.

"Sakura, you're alive now because of the Byakugou seal." Tsunade said calmly and cautiously, almost as if she didn't know how to approach the topic. She wasn't even sure if the pinkette was listening anymore, but it had caught the younger female's attention. "Your connection with Katsuyu has kept the poison at bay enough for you to have lived this long."

Well that answered one question that she had been confused about. At least that made sense in a way. It was better than saying that it was fate or her will to live. She was supposed to have died over six years ago after all. Then again, she didn't remember much from around that time, so she supposed anything could have happened and she didn't realize it.

The blonde, former Sannin frowned and she knew this next thing wouldn't be easy to say, but it had to be done. For the sake of someone important to both her and Sakura. She was hesitant at first and Sakura could hear it in her voice when she started, as well as everybody else. "But because of that. . ." the woman paused, preparing herself for whatever response the pinkette was going to have. Whatever it was, it wasn't going to be good. "Katsuyu is dying."

Jade eyes slowly widened in shock and they settled on the woman that had just told her the news. Goosebumps rose on her skin and her complexion paled as her mouth fell open slightly.

What?

 _END OF CHAPTER EIGHT_

Please review.


	10. A Sweet Memory

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or One Piece nor do I make any money from my writings.

A/N: Thank you everyone for the reviews. I greatly appreciate them.

Butterflygrin: I know that the story seems illogical concerning the reason why Sakura wants Law to heal her and no one else, but there is a reason for it. I have it where she just knows that she wants Law to cure her, but not a definite reason as to why. There are a lot of reasons she's come up with, but not THE reason. She's very confused and I don't want to let anything out right now. No spoilers. If you continued to read up till this point, I thank you and I appreciated your review and your opinion. Please keep reading and enjoy.

Rose Rain 7: I'm not gonna lie. . . I absolutely adore your reviews! I love all reviews, whatever I can get from any reader to let me know what they think, but yours have me cracking up every time I read them. Please continue and thank you. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing. I know I threw a twist in there in the last chapter, but everything will settle down soon, I promise, and I hope you won't be disappointed with this chapter.

Please read and review.

Chapter Nine: A Sweet Memory

 _The sound of clicking was the signal that the door to the cellar was shut and dark eyes settled on a pair of jade ones. The pinkette stood calmly in front of the door and the shouting of "Have fun, kiddies!" could be heard from outside of the door. The male let out a scoff and turned his head forward, his eyes narrowed toward the ground. He knew some of his crewmates could be childish, but this was just ridiculous._

 _With his back pressed against a barrel to the side of the decent sized room, he had his legs pulled up and his arms draped over his knees. Ace had been wondering what was going through their heads when they asked him to come down here and then locked the door behind him. Why there was a lock on the cellar door to begin with, he didn't even know. If anyone wanted booze, they could just get it. Who the hell was going to get on this massive ship just to take some of Whitebeard's drinks? His crewmates had obviously been planning this for a while and prepared beforehand so that he couldn't escape. Although if he had really wanted to, a simple lock wasn't going to keep him from getting out. He wasn't willing to risk his captain's anger at having part of his ship destroyed though._

 _Why they even bothered to do something like this was beyond him. Okay, so maybe he had opened up to everyone on the crew and he was usually more talkative. So maybe it was unusual for him not to be at least semi-polite to someone new, but that was the problem. She_ wasn't _new to him, but she was at the same time. He knew her, but she had changed. He was able to sense it as soon as he saw her, and it made him uncomfortable._

 _He didn't know what happened to her, but it made the light in her eyes vanish. Whenever his eyes trailed to her, which had been often, he felt like he was looking at a girl he didn't recognize anymore. It was painful. Which was why he had done his best to avoid her while the captain allowed her to stay on the ship. However, it looked like his efforts had been in vain, considering that they were now trapped in this room, with no exit other than the locked door, and for who knew how long._

 _The soft sound of footsteps that he could barely make out made their way to him and he turned his head in the opposite direction from her. She was making her way slowly down the stairs from the door and on to the cellar floor._

 _Ace furrowed his brow with a slight scowl. He wanted to talk with her, but so much had changed in the three years that they hadn't seen each other. What made it even worse was that there was no recognition in her eyes when she looked at him. She didn't remember him at all, but then again, she had warned him that that might happen. It was a high possibility and he had prepared himself for it. He just hadn't thought that it would so painful to be forgotten by someone that he considered to be his little sister. Or was it big sister. . ? Oh well, that didn't matter. She looked younger than him at the time so she was his little sister._

 _The footsteps stopped beside him and he could feel the gaze of the female on him, her eyes penetrating through him and causing goosebumps to rise on his skin. The male rose his hand to his forearm and squeezed it, desperate not to give away how much the girl had an effect on him._

 _Sakura sat down next to him so that she was facing the same direction his own body was and she pulled her knees to her chest. Placing her hands on top of her knees, she continued to set her attention on him. Her face didn't give away any emotion other than an innocent curiosity, her expression mostly calm. "Ace-sama?" she called out to him._

 _'Don't call me that.' he wanted to say to her. It was so unlike her. Even her voice had lost its ferocity that it used to hold, it matched the eyes she now had. The spark that she had was gone now and he had no idea why._

 _Ace gritted his teeth in frustration and guilt. He hadn't been there for her when she needed help the most. What happened to her?_

" _Ace-sama?"_

' _Don't call me that.' His teeth gritted even more._

" _Is something wrong?" she asked, concern and innocence lacing her soft voice._

 _Yes. Everything was wrong. She had forgotten about him and Luffy. She had forgotten the vows that they made together. She had forgotten the promise she made them. She had forgotten them. . . What was worse was that there wasn't anything that they could have done to help her. There was nothing he could have done to save her from whatever it was that was haunting her. What good was he. . ? What sort of brother was he? He couldn't protect anything. . ._

 _Dark eyebrows furrowed before onyx eyes clenched shut, his arms raising so that his hands could bury themselves in his dark hair, gripping at the loose strands at his scalp roughly. Self-loathing and guilt ate away at his heart and a deep heat settled inside of his stomach. His mouth ran dry and his throat clenched, a sudden nausea hitting him deep within his core. A thick sweat was breaking out over his body and he could swear that he was trembling. He was so disgusted with himself. . ._

" _Do you hate me?"_

 _The sudden question had Ace lifting up his head swiftly and he barely registered the image of the cellar wall in front of him before turning his head to look down at the female beside him. His eyes were wide in shock and he was sure that he hadn't quite heard her right. Did he hate her?_

" _W-what?" he stuttered._

 _The young girl had a frown on her lips, her pink eyebrows furrowing in displeasure. It was clear that she was worried about him and the tension between them that had been caused by him. "Do you hate me?" she repeated, her voice just as soft as the first time she had asked him, if not quieter. She was nervous._

 _Of course not. It wasn't hate that he felt for her. Nowhere close to it, but how could he tell her that? As far as she knew, this was their first meeting. So what could he say?_

 _Swallowing to try to moisten his dry throat, he turned his head away from that earnest gaze. The fire user closed his eyes and frowned deeply before gritting out, "Don't be stupid. How can I hate someone I don't know?"_

" _It's just that. . ." the pinkette started, her jade eyes still looking over the male beside her, "whenever I tried to talk to you before, you'd always avoid me." Her gaze fell down to the floor in front of her for a moment as if in thought before she looked back at him, her frown still in place. "And at times, you look like you're glaring at me."_

 _Ace furrowed his brow and almost scowled at the new information. Had he been glaring? He hadn't meant to at all. He would admit to himself that it angered him to see her, but it was for a completely different reason than the one she came up with. Seeing her this way made him think of his faults as the big brother that he was supposed to be to her. He was supposed to protect her and the realization that he hadn't made him angry. It wasn't anger directed at her, but at himself, and he supposed she had seen that in his eyes._

 _The male could feel her body lean in closer to him and he knew that she was trying to get a better look at his face. He couldn't meet her eyes. It was too painful. All he could do was keep his eyes closed and hope that she wouldn't get any closer to him or press the issue. He should have known better though. This was Sakura, after all._

" _Why won't you look at me?" she softly asked and his skin burned when her timid fingertips made contact with his cheeks. He allowed her to pull his face toward her so that she could look at him more clearly. Even with his eyes closed, he imagined her green eyes looking over his face diligently, as if trying to make out and memorize every little detail his features had to offer. His face was on fire and his body wouldn't stay still, fidgeting on its own. His hands had fallen back down to his knees some time before, he couldn't recall when; too conscious of the being next to him to notice the small details his body was making._

" _Please." she practically whispered and the soft word caused his breathing to halt. "Look at me."_

 _He couldn't disobey her. The command was so gentle and earnest, it was heart wrenching. He couldn't fight against her, couldn't tell her 'no'. Slowly, Ace opened his dark eyes and they settled on the jade ones in front of him. They were the same as when he had seen her a few days ago, but different somehow. . . Only a foot of distance was between them and she wouldn't allow him to look away from her. Her gaze had captured him and he wasn't going anywhere. He knew that and he couldn't bring himself to care._

 _The moment their gazes had met, he had felt a calm wash over him. All of the anxiety he felt, the nausea, the anger, the pain, all of it had vanished when he looked into her eyes. They were gentle and soothing, soft and beautiful. They held a sad and lonely beauty._

 _That was when it dawned on him. This girl, who was his little sister, who had no memories of him, was reaching out to him. She had been through a pain so horrible that it had caused the fire within her to nearly die, but here she was now, extending her hand out to him so she wouldn't have to be alone anymore. And he had nearly turned her away completely. . . He was such a dumbass!_

 _Ace had to force himself from reaching out toward her and wrapping his arms around her. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to embrace her tightly. He wanted her to cry her eyes out into his shoulder while he held her protectively. He couldn't save her from what was in her past, but he could help her now. He could help her now._

 _He wasn't aware that his gaze had softened and he was staring at her with a weak expression, his brow furrowed and his lips slightly parted. He did notice how her eyes continued to stare into his own unwaveringly. It was odd. It was as if she were looking into him and searching for something specific. Her gaze continued and though it was still gentle and filled with worry, it was hard and stern._

" _I feel like you can see through to my soul." The words left him softly, without him even realizing it and when they registered in his mind after floating through the space between them for a moment, his eyes widened in surprise._

 _The female's eyes had widened also in surprise, not expecting that sort of comment from him. What happened next stunned the male even further. Sakura had lowered her hands from his cheeks and brought one up to her mouth, barely covering an amused smile. Her eyes were closed and a soft chuckle left her lips before it slowly grew into quiet laughter._

 _Onyx eyes blinked at the scene before him and above all else, the fire user felt immense relief. She was laughing and though it was soft, it was genuine. It was the first time he had heard her laugh in years. It was the first time he had seen her smile in such a long time. Ace cherished the moment and he wanted her to show more emotion. So the male did the one thing that he knew would get under her skin. He would rile up that temper of hers._

" _Shut up. You shouldn't laugh at someone with that big ass forehead of yours."_

"No! This is bullshit!" the pinkette screamed, her fists clenched in anger by her sides. Her eyes were narrowed dangerously at the man before her and her teeth were gritted to the point of almost breaking.

Sakura seethed in anger and she could hear voices echoing throughout the room, vaguely aware that she was arguing with the Hokage. While words left her mouth, tears slid down her cheeks and the only thing that she could focus on was the despair curling around her chest. It filled her with a dense agony and she felt like she was drowning.

Her entire body had erupted in painful, scolding tremors while feelings of failure and rage filled her heart. She couldn't do anything right. She had gotten herself in this situation and now Katsuyu was dying. Despite what Kankuro had said, these people hadn't believed in her. It was obvious in the way they looked at her; with sympathy.

She was a dead kunoichi. She was withered and broken with no hope of returning to her former glory. She was just waiting to die following a myth. That was how they saw her, she knew it.

The physical pain to her body didn't register in her mind, even as her body started to collapse to the floor and her mind went blank. Sakura's body fell to the floor in a heap, her body twitching harshly with spasms even with her unconscious mind. Multiple ran toward her at that point, shouting out for her. Blood fell from her mouth continuously and this time, it also exited through her nose and eyes.

Her body was dying.

This was it. . .

Deep within the despair of all of these discoveries, without even realizing, she had given up. . .

Her body was carried to the infirmary, multiple medics in the room working on different sections of her body. Tsunade was outside of the operating room and despite wanting to tend to her pupil, she had to keep Naruto out of the room while they operated on her. Kakashi, Sasuke, and Ino had followed suit, worried for the female while Shizune stood by her side, tending to her body.

Unlike the last time she had been in this hospital, restraints weren't needed to keep her down. After she had been placed into the room on the bed, her body had relaxed. Her heartbeat slowed and her breathing calmed. The blood exiting her body had slowed and almost completely stopped. "Tsunade-sama!"

 _She was dying. . ._

 _Her body was falling into a calm slumber, giving in to the despair that plagued her soul. A despair that had been forming for the entirety of her life._

 _She had been bullied as a child by her peers. She had been protected and pushed aside as a teammate. She had been neglected by her teacher. She had been betrayed by the person she loved most._

 _Naruto and Sasuke had never really treated her as a true comrade. Kakashi had never treated her as a real student. When it came to Team Seven, to the one thing that she had felt she was truly apart of, she was alone. She was so utterly alone. . ._

 _She had tried so hard to get where she was before the accident and then when her abilities were taken from her, they didn't believe in her._

 _Naruto always had the kyuubi and Sasuke always had his Kekkai Genkai, but what did she have. . . Nothing. . . When things got rough, they always had something to turn to, someone to turn to. Whether it was a giant beast made of chakra or a bloodline trait from family. They always had something to help them out. But what did she have. . . Nothing. . ._

 _When her chakra was taken from her, she was a normal person. She didn't have any strength. She didn't have anybody to encourage her. She didn't have any teammates to encourage her to become stronger. They didn't expect anything from her. They didn't believe in her. . . It had always been like that._

 _She had always struggled and suffered on her own. . ._

 _So why should now be any different?_

 _Because she was dying. . ?_

 _Deep within the recesses of her mind as her subconscious was surrounded by darkness, Sakura realized that she had always been alone._

 _She had a loving family and friends, but when it came to what defined her, she was alone, and now she was going to die. . ._

 _She was going to die. . . Alone and in despair. . ._

 _Sakura was curled around herself in the darkness, her body naked and though she didn't pay attention to it, her body had reverted to its original size, before she had reverted back to a child. Her skin was bare, free of all of the scars she had earned, free of the red tattoo of ANBU on her right shoulder, free of the purple rhombus on her forehead. Her pink hair floated and curled behind her in a crescent shape, stopping before the tips reached the back of her thighs._

 _Her knees were pulled up to her chest and her arms were wrapped around them. Her forehead was on her knees, her eyes closed and her brows eased. Her body was resting, floating along aimlessly in the sea of darkness. Her body tilted and turned, but she didn't know what was up or down, left or right._

 _Everything was endless and she was alone in this dark world._

 _But why should this place be any different? It was her soul wasn't it? Her heart. Her mind._

 _She wasn't even worth being pitied over._

 _There was no great loss to Konoha if she were to die. Tsunade could find another student just like her and they would take her place. Kakashi never treated her as a student, Naruto only cared about her because of her relationship with Sasuke. Sasuke didn't love her, had even tried to kill her twice and Ino could always find another best friend, if she hadn't already._

 _Her existence wasn't necessary, so why?_

 _Why was she still hanging on?_

 _What was it that kept her body floating there in the darkness?_

 _Hadn't she suffered enough?_

 _If not as a shinobi, then as a slave._

 _Hadn't she been through enough?_

 _The loneliness, the suffering, the pain. The humiliation. The sorrow._

 _The despair._

 _All she had wanted was for them to be together as a team. All she had wanted was to be treated like an actual comrade by the ones she loved. She wanted to suffer beside them. She wanted to cry beside them. To laugh beside them. To move forward beside them. She didn't want to be protected or to be treated as inferior, even if she was weaker than them._

 _Sakura wanted to have a place among them. . ._

 _She didn't want to die alone. . ._

 _Maybe that was too much to ask for. . ._

 _. . .Why was she still here. . ?_

 _She just wanted to die. Yet she_ didn't _want to die._

" _You're not going to die!"_

 _Jade eyes snapped open and her head tilted upward, her gaze settling on the darkness in front of her. Sakura had heard it, even if it was faint. The sound of a voice so familiar, yet so different._

 _She had heard it before, hadn't she?_

" _Get up, Sakura!" the voice encouraged her, louder than before. Although the voice sounded younger than she remembered it, she knew from deep within her soul._

" _Luffy?"_

 _Sakura turned toward the sound more, her back straightening and her gaze looking in front of her and up into the abyss slightly above her. Her legs lowered so she could have stood if there had been any ground. Her feet curled behind her, her knees bending slightly and her hair floated around her in slow, sensual waves._

" _You made a promise, remember?" he questioned her, his voice urgent and filled with concern. "So you can't die yet!"_

 _The pinkette brought her hands to her mouth, the fingertips touching the skin underneath her bottom lip. Her lips were parted in a small frown while her brow furrowed in sorrow. She felt an overwhelming emptiness hit her and she felt the need to apologize._

" _I'm sorry."_

" _I'm sorry."_

" _I'm sorry."_

 _Sakura turned her head downward, her palms covering her eyes and she closed them, beginning to cry. The tears slid from her eyes and floated into the air around her once they escaped the confines of her hands. "I'm sorry."_

" _I can't remember." she muttered, her voice laced with agony._

 _She didn't want to do this anymore. She had been fighting against the world and she had lost. . . She had been fighting for herself and she had lost. . ._

 _Why did Luffy's voice have to appear now? Why couldn't he leave her alone?_

" _No!" he yelled, "Get up!"_

 _Were these memories? Sakura felt a warmth embrace her and she raised her head once again, lowering her hands in front of her while her gaze fluttered upward. In the spot she had looked at previously, in the place of the dark, was a dim, growing light. The tears continued to fall from her green eyes and the light started to reflect in her sorrow-filled eyes._

" _Get up!" he repeated, more urgent this time, but the concern was gone._

" _Get up!" In its place was an undying faith._

 _The light began to grow brighter, slowly spreading out and covering the darkness surrounding it. "Get up, Sakura!"_

 _Warmth continued to spread throughout the female's body and a gentle weight settled around her shoulders, as someone had wrapped their arms around her in a loving embrace._

" _I know you can do it!"_

 _Those words were what blew the darkness away, the light having exploded in array of brightness, knocking the dark shadows away. It spread outward for eternity, the force having blown the female's hair back so that it whipped around behind her. It also left the pinkette breathless, her floating tears having been swept away by the current also. Her now dry eyes blinked ahead of her and a strength that she hadn't known settled inside of her heart._

 _All it took was the faith and belief in those encouraging words for her to find her strength. To be told by someone firsthand that they believed in her, to be told to get up, and to feel the sincerity in those words. . ._

 _It brought forth a wave of emotions within the female._

 _Her will had hardened._

 _She will live. . ._

 _She needed to hear those words from him._

 _At the very least. . . she needed to know if he considered her his nakama._

The pinkette abruptly sat up on the bed, alarming the medics surrounding her. Sakura kept her body straightened while the medics tried to push her back down. "You need to lay down." they told her, authority and concern lacing their tones while they gave her orders. They succeeded for a few moments to push her back down to lay on the bed.

Sakura lashed out toward them with her arms and with her eyes clenched shut, her voice reached a whole new volume as she practically roared, "Enough!" The medics in the room immediately ceased all movement out of sheer astonishment and some; fear.

Only a moment after her outburst, the shinobi outside of the room charged in, bursting open the doors to see what had happened. The large room now occupied over ten people, including the pinkette and all of them watched as the small female pushed herself up and ripped out the I.V.s in her arms and legs. She didn't seem to even notice the blood that flew out of the skin as she did so.

Although Tsunade should have been questioning what the pinkette thought she was doing or why the medics were just standing there, she couldn't take her eyes off of the female. Something stopped her and she had no idea what kind of force it was.

Blood vessels on Sakura's body began to pop underneath the pressure of her body as she began to stand up. The red liquid fell from the female's mouth and tears rolled down her cheeks as her teeth gritted. Her body trembled as she continued to push herself up.

"I'm. . ." she began before straightening herself all the way. Her fists clenched at her sides in determination and the next moment, she was leaning forward with her eyes clenched shut. "not going to die!"

At her declaration, a shock wave escaped from her body and bounced around the room. A thick and commanding aura that left everyone speechless as it rippled through the air. Everyone stood still and the higher leveled shinobi still didn't move, even as the medics that had been working on her lost consciousness. Their bodies fell down to the ground with a thud as if the life had been knocked out of them.

Not even bothering to register what she had just done, though no one in the room knew the answer to that, Sakura straightened and turned her gaze to the ceiling above her. Her pink brow was furrowed and tears continued to slide down her cheeks, leaving her eyes swollen and red in their wake. Her teeth were gritted and she looked unreachable to the others. She was in a world of her own, her thoughts settling on something that none of them could fathom.

Sakura relaxed her body and features, but was frowning, before looking over at Tsunade, not even registering the dumbstruck expressions of the shinobi looking at her. "Shishou, will you summon Katsuyu-sama for me?" she asked softly, "I want to talk to her for myself."

Tsunade could only nod her head at the female and within twenty minutes, the medics had been placed into their own rooms by other medics. They had been checked and the former Hokage had been informed that they were fine, only unconscious. Sakura had allowed Shizune to tend to the damage done to her body with this recent attack. She had also gotten a glimpse within the female's body, discovering every bit of damage that she had sustained throughout the years. Shizune had been mortified when she noticed everything and though the others had questioned the look on her face, she hadn't said anything. She would tell Tsunade about it later. It would only cause chaos to break out even further amongst the group.

During the time that the dark haired woman healed the pinkette, Sakura had turned her calm gaze over to Sasuke, who stood to the side of the room. His dark eyes had been on her, taking in her features curiously and cautiously. His brow was furrowed in thought as if he had wanted to say something.

'Sasuke-kun.' she thought, 'I wonder if he waited for me.' Jade eyes turned downward solemnly and she knew that if he had, she would feel guilty about it. Deep down, she hoped that he had moved on. . . That he hadn't waited for her return. She had left after all. She didn't know how long her journey was going to take and she should have prepared everything beforehand. They should have already been divorced long ago. The pinkette lowered her hand to her side, where his sword still rested in the sash tied around her waist. She gripped the sheathe in her small hand, surprised that it hadn't fallen off from everything that had happened. She still had his shirt inside of her own, could feel the material rubbing up against her stomach.

It only took ten minutes for them to go outside into the open field behind the hospital. Doing as Sakura had asked and not sure why she was following the pinkette's requests, Tsunade summoned Katsuyu. It only took a brief moment for a large portion of the slug to appear in front of them. Her body was slumped over, looking weak and rugged while her head was on the ground. She was too weak to even keep her head up and the pure white that had covered most of her body was a dingy yellow. The bright blue lines had turned into an off-brown color and purple lines stretched and whipped around underneath the yellow skin. Her eyes drooped downward while an oozy substance left her closed mouth.

She looked horrible. . . and there was a putrid odor coming off of her body, which had Naruto covering his nose and mouth with his hand, trying not to gag.

Tsunade and Shizune had seen the slug before, but her appearance came as a surprise to the others that were there. Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, Ino. All of them were shocked and horrified at the condition Katsuyu was in.

Sakura wasn't though. . . She wasn't at all surprised to see how horrible Katsuyu looked and she knew that the slug felt even worse than she looked. She knew because she had gone through the same thing. Both of their bodies were dying, both of them were in constant pain, and both of them were trying their hardest to survive. Her pink brow was furrowed and she felt awful for what she was about to ask of the slug, but. . .

"Sakura-chan," the slug began, her voice weak and raspy, "I'm glad to see you are fine."

Sakura furrowed her brow further and if she hadn't been about to act so selfishly, she would have smiled. How foolish of her to think that she was alone. . . "I'm sorry, Katsuyu-sama," the pinkette began, her expression and her will hardening, but her voice remained calm and gentle, "but will you please die with me?"

Katsuyu herself was surprised while everyone else was shocked to hear those words and they settled around them for a moment, before they sunk into the quicker minds. Shizune was the first to speak up, her dark brows furrowed and a frown on her lips, "Sakura, do you have any idea what you're asking?!"

The pinkette ignored her older sister's words, though she did process them. She knew what she was asking was crazy and would no doubt have a serious effect for the entire Shinobi world, but this was something she felt that she had to do. "Please, Katsuyu-sama, I'm grateful for all that you've done so far, but I still need your help."

Sakura still had her brow furrowed and she clenched her fists, determination radiating from her small and weak body. Every word she spoke was true. She really was grateful and she knew that she couldn't continue to fight without the slug's help. "I still haven't accomplished my goal."

The others watched as Sakura spoke to the large slug before her while everyone else stood back, waiting and listening. "I'm sorry that it's taken so long," the female apologized, sincerity in her voice, "and that you've suffered because of me."

Sakura's voice grew slightly louder, her green eyes narrowed and her fist being lifted to grip her shirt over her heart. "But I don't want that suffering to be all for nothing."

She let go of her shirt and spread out her arms to the sides slightly before continuing, "I won't die, not until I reach my goal."

All hesitation that had been within her was gone. She wasn't going to die.

She's not going to die.

"So believe in me." Sakura held out her arms to the sides fully, spreading out her fingers and letting the wind caress them. It blew around them and ruffled everyone's hair behind them. The wind also blew Katsuyu's dying scent toward them, but no one noticed anymore. Everyone was watching the scene in front of them in wonderment and anticipation.

"Please lend me your strength to protect the people precious to me!" the pinkette continued and though she knew that Katsuyu had already given her more than enough strength over the years, she felt her very existence riding on the wind. She needed her help more than ever now. Something was going to happen, something was going to change, whether it be for better or worse. Whether she died or lived, she wouldn't be able to do anything unless she had Katsuyu's help.

"You will suffer alongside me through everything! So please, I'm begging you!" Sakura leaned forward in a bow, her arms lowered by her sides, and her eyes clenched shut tightly. On the verge of breaking down into tears, she yelled, "Have faith in me!"

The wind blew around them, harsher than before and yet gentle at the same time. It stroked her cheeks before running through her hair. It carried the silence around them and twirled it around, before settling in a place further away. Nobody moved and nobody said anything. All present were taken aback by the pinkette and her declaration. Her words had conveyed a strength there that had not been shown previously. Her body stayed bowed in a show of respect, determination, and desperation.

"Of course I will."

Jade eyes immediately snapped open and she straightened until her back was straight and her eyes landed on the glazed over ones of the slug before her. Her words echoed around in Sakura's mind and a bright, relieved smile spread across her lips. Bowing her head and closing her eyes, she said, "Thank you."

Now all she could do was make sure that Katsuyu wouldn't regret her decision.

END OF CHAPTER NINE!

Please review what you think.


	11. A Final Farewell

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or One Piece nor do I make any money from my writings.

A/N: Thank you all for the reviews. I greatly appreciated them. This is a short chapter, but I hope you all will enjoy it nonetheless. I'll get back to the main plotline soon, I promise. This is just to wrap things up before then. Please read, enjoy, and review.

Chapter Ten: A Final Farewell

"What do you mean you can't send me back?!" Sakura yelled as her eyes narrowed at the male Hokage in front of her. They were still outside after she had made her request to Katsuyu. After the slug had disappeared to return to the remainder of her body, Sakura had asked Kakashi to return her to Alabasta. She had figured that he had thought everything through before she was summoned back to Konoha. She couldn't have been more wrong.

Where was Kankuro, now that she thought about it? He was the one that had brought her here and now he was nowhere in sight.

More importantly, why the hell couldn't they send her back? She didn't have time for this. Ace was still in that village and was probably wondering where she went off to. Even if he wasn't worried about her, she didn't want to just abandon him without a word.

"The jutsu we used was only a one-way teleportation." Kakashi explained, his brow furrowed and a frown hidden behind his mask. He felt bad for dragging her away from where she was at, but there was nothing he could do for her now. She had to hear this news and he had honestly expected her to accept the cure instead of furthering both her own and Katsuyu's suffering. Even if it had been a goal for years, the Sakura he knew would have thrown herself aside and given up her dreams in order to protect someone else. Although he knew that she was as stubborn as one could get and that she had told Katsuyu that she wanted to protect others, he couldn't bring himself to believe that this was the same girl he had once trained.

The Sakura looking back at him with her eyes narrowed in determination, though smaller in stature and hardly a threat to him, was a true woman. She had grown up, both mentally and spiritually. She had endured things that he could only imagine. As his dark grey eyes staredinto hers, he could see that. She had changed.

She was stronger now. She was much harder to break.

"I don't care what you used," she retorted, her tone sharp and holding a bit of sass. "Find some way to send me back this instant!"

From the way she was speaking, one would think that she would throw her hands on her hips and stomp her foot on the ground in a fit and if she were to have done that, Kakashi would have found it adorable, if only the situation wasn't so serious.

"I'm sorry, Sakura. I can't do it." he replied while the others continued to listen and watch.

The pinkette clenched her fists by her sides and narrowed her eyes ahead of her. She gritted her teeth, frustration ebbing at her nerves, the cells in her arms twitching and tempting her to reach forward to punch the man in front of her. The only reason why she didn't was because she could tell that he truly felt bad for her situation. That, and the fact that she needed to hear the news about Katsuyu. If they had just summoned her to tell her they found a cure, then she really would have gone berserk.

There was no way she would give up on finding Law. Not after all she had been through, not after she had spent so much time looking for him. There was also something else that was starting to prickle at the back of her subconsious since she had woken up a little less than a hour ago. It was just barely there, but she could definitely hear it. She could definitely feel it. It was something that shined there with the slightest bit of hope and it kept her from breaking down. Kept her from giving up for good.

There was another reason why she was looking for this mystery man. . . but what was it?

"Sakura."

Jade eyes quickly turned to look at the man that had called her, shivers running down her spine as his deep voice caressed her eardrums. Oh, how she had missed that voice. She missed it, but she didn't long for it like she used to. Her eyes met deep onyx, dark hair parted to the side to cover the circled designs of a purple eye. His lips were set into a thin, calm line and he still wore that dark cloak over his clothes with black, open-toed boots.

Sakura turned her body toward him completely, disregarding the other shinobi that were there. "Sasuke." she replied softly, her body relaxed and her eyes looking at him steadily. She had calmed down by just him saying her name. It was amazing what power he had over her with just the simplest of things sometimes, even after all this time. She knew that her feelings had wavered quite a bit since she last saw him before she left on her journey, but her loyalty to him as his wife and lover hadn't in the slightest.

She had no intention of falling in love with anyone else if she could help it or to be with anyone else. The pinkette only wanted the divorce for his sake.

To set him free.

As much as she would have liked to think that he had moved on with his life, she knew better. No one loved more than an Uchiha and they were loyal to a fault. Whether to family, to ideals, to dreams, to lovers. They were loyal.

And Sasuke was loyal to her. She could tell by looking into those deep, dark eyes. There was no guilt there whatsoever, nothing there to tell her that he had fallen in love with someone else.

"I can send you back."

"Eh?" the pinkette responded, her eyes widening slightly, not having expected that response. Her eyebrows shot up and her mouth parted while her heart skipped a bit in relief and anticipation. As much as she loved being able to see him again and the opportunity to catch up with him was tempting, she really had to get back to where she had been. However, before she could do that, there was something that she had to do and it involved the dark haired male.

"I want a divorce." It slipped out before she could have possibly controlled it enough to stop it. Her eyes widened in sync with everyone else's, surprise spreading throughout the area and leaving an awkward silence in its wake.

Jade eyes were having a staring contest with onyx, showing Sasuke had been surprised by her outburst as well. Embarrassment swam through the pinkette's stomach and cheeks, turning them a bright pink. Quickly turning her head, Sakura adverted her eyes from the male and settled on looking at the grass to the side. Bringing up her hands, her fingers laced together in front of her stomach and fidgeted. What an awful thing to say to him after he had just offered to send her back to her new friends. He probably thought that she was ungrateful.

"Its just that. . ." she began awkwardly, nervousness poking through her soft voice. She would risk looking up at his expression every few moments to guage his reaction and she was relieved to see that he had calmed down. It showed that he was listening to her and waiting for her to explain herself. "Um. . ."

The Uchiha closed his eyes and a soft smile adorned his lips while he let out a shallow breath. His gaze returned to her and met her own and with his head tilted slightly, he continued to smile at her. "Follow me."

Sakura lowered her hands to her sides and blinked as the male turned and began to walk away. Following after him immediately, anticipation and anxiety stirred in her stomach, making it burn. Her skin itched and her mind wandered. What was he planning on doing? Where was he taking her to?

The pinkette followed behind him silently, watching his back as he continued to walk in front of her. He seemed so calm, so confident, so much stronger than before. If she wasn't mistaken, she could swear that he had grown taller as well. Then again, it had been seven years. She had left when she was nineteen, so he should have been due for another growth spurt.

It didn't take long to get further into the village and she watched as he stopped in front of a door to a large house. On the walls on both sides of the front door was the Uchiha crest, large, bold, and full of pride. The male opened the door while the female finished catching up to him. Turning the knob and pushing the door open, he stepped aside and looked back at the pinkette, a small smile on his lips. He was holding the door open for her.

Sakura instantly raised her shoulders in embarrassment while a blush colored her cheeks. A soft, sweet smile grazed her mouth and she kept her eyes downcast while she walked forward. Stepping passed the door, she entered a large hallway that had closed doors attached to each side aligning all the way down to the end of the hall. Green eyes blinked in astonishment.

"I live here by myself." he spoke up from behind her and she turned her head to look at him as he walked passed her. He continued down the hall without taking off his shoes and the female followed after him. The halls were bland so there wasn't much to look at. She was content with keeping her gaze on the back of his form. "Naruto used to live here before he married Hinata."

The pinkette widened her eyes in surprise at the news. "They got married?"

"Ah." he replied before stopping in front of a wooden, sliding door. Pulling it open, he stepped inside and watched as she followed.

"That's good." Sakura said while smiling softly down at the ground, which was now covered with carpet instead of wood. It was about time they had gotten together. At least they had moved on with their lives. Not that she expected them to stop moving forward because she had left. She was happy for them.

Sakura looked up to see the dark haired male make his way to a dark grey couch in the middle of the living room. It was a large room, a coffee table in the very center, a couch on two sides of it opposite of each other. On the opposite side of her was a large fireplace, the mantle filled with pictures of their team, of Naruto on his wedding day, old pictures of his family, of him and Itachi. Pictures of her and of their wedding day.

The sight almost brought tears to her eyes, a burning sensation behind them and her throat constricted painfully with a sudden dryness. Sasuke turned his silent gaze to her, expectation hidden behind his dark eyes. Swalling a thick lump that had made its way into her throat and forcefully drowning out her nervousness, she made her way forward. Her gaze was downcast and her hands were folded in front of her stomach. Guilt and an awkward sense of shame ate at her heart. With those feelings stirring aroung inside of her, she sat down on the couch opposite of him, her legs and fingers trembling.

"Sakura."

"Hai." she squeeked, causing her brow to furrow and her mouth to set into a grimace at the high pitched noise.

"Come." he replied simply and jade eyes looked up to see him holding up his hand lazily, palm facing downward. His body was leaning slightly to the side, making himself comfortable against the soft back of the couch. Not even thinking of the possiblity to disobey him, Sakura instantly rose to her feet. Almost dragging them across the carpet, she made her way to the spot next to him and sat down.

Sakura kept her gaze downward, her hands fidgeting in her lap and her back and legs stiff. She was so nervous. What was she supposed to say? What was she supposed to do? How should she react to this situation?

"I-" she began, but was interrupted by the male next to her.

"I didn't know if you were still alive."

Green eyes widened at the confession and her head turned so that she was looking at the side of the Uchiha's handsome face. He was frowning, his eyes aimed at the table in front of him, but he wasn't really looking at it. "I wanted to believe you were." His voice was soft and she could tell that he still wasn't used to speaking from the heart.

His fists clenched at the material of his cloak over his thighs, but he relaxed almost before it could be registered as a movement at all. "I'm glad you're alive and I was preparing myself for a divorce for a long time. The time away from everything must have finally opened your eyes."

Sakura wasn't sure how to take in what she was hearing. How was she supposed to digest this? How was she supposed to understand what he meant? Finally, she just asked, "What do you mean?"

Sasuke turned his head, his eyes looking straight into hers. They were a lighter onyx than before, almost a deep grey, and stormy with emotion. His mouth was set into a firm frown and she could see the sadness in his expression, even if he did hide it well. "You deserve happiness, Sakura."

Eh?

"I know you've been loyal to me from the very beginning." he added, gratitude echoing through his words. "I'm sorry for all that I've put you through."

Did he. . ? Did he think that she. . ?

Turning, Sakura leaned upward toward the dark haired male and put her hands on his thighs. The height difference or how small her own body was compared to his didn't register in her mind at that moment. All that mattered was that he knew the truth. The real reason why she wanted to break apart from him.

"Do you think that I want the divorce because I don't love you anymore?!" she asked, a small amount of desperation in her tone and eyes.

Sasuke seemed genuinely surprised at that moment and his wide eyes showed how confused he was. "What else could it be?"

"That's wrong!" she replied, leaning forward more and her voice rising in volume, but she wasn't yelling. "I do still love you." she confessed, "More than anyone else. Even after all this time."

Pink eyebrows furrowed and she frowned as the male continued to look at her in astonishment. "I want the divorce so that you won't be tied down." Blinking, the female tried so hard not to cry at that very moment. She was letting go of what she had yearned for and loved for so many years. It hurt more than she ever could have imagined, like letting go a part of her very soul. "I want you to find someone else that can make you happy."

She couldn't stop it any longer, tears overflowed down the sides of her eyes and down her cheeks. A deep flush covered the skin over her nose and her brow was furrowed deeply at that point. So many emotions had built up within her chest until they burst. Her eyes were still sore from having cried earlier, but now they stung from the salty liquid flowing from them. Her lips were set into a deep frown and her ears burned. Her fingers gripped into the fabric at his thighs as if desperate not to let this man slip through her grasp.

It felt like a hand had reached into her chest and gripped her heart, squeezing it with its sharp nails before twisting it around in a game of tug. A hand that belonged to her. She was causing this pain and that hurt even more, but she had to be strong and get through this, despite the heartache it caused.

"To make you happy the way that I couldn't." she admitted, the feeling of guilt and shame making themselves known to her companion. "You shouldn't have to wait years for a lover that might not even be alive." It didn't escape the Uchiha that she had completely disregarded the fact that he had once done that very thing to her, twice even, yet she had still held on and waited for him with a painful and lonely love in her heart.

Sasuke's expression softened at the words the pinkette uttered and a deep adoration set in within his chest, causing his heart to flutter. It was then that he remembered; she had always thought of him before herself. That was what made her unlike every other woman. Out of all of the women that had desired him or liked him, only Sakura had loved him unconditionally. That was why, even if they parted, there would always be a place in his heart for her. In his own way, he would always love her.

He didn't see a child before him at that moment. He saw the woman that had given up so much, had suffered so much, all because she loved him. The woman that had filled his lonely existence with love and he had fallen for her in return. It was true that he did not act on that love like most others or express it with words like she would have liked, but there was one way to show his affection for her.

With a soft smile on his lips, he lifted up his hand and reached across him toward the pinkette. He watched as her eyes slightly widened while her gaze followed his hand. Reaching her, he poked his index and middle fingers on her forehead over her seal. Her eyes had shifted back toward him and without fail, the flush on her face deepened to cover her cheeks.

"Thank you." he replied softly, eternally grateful to her unyielding loyalty and love for him.

It was true that she could always come back to the village and settle down with him now that they had the cure for her, but neither of them wanted such a thing. Sasuke didn't want all those years to go to waste either. Sakura had chosen her path long ago and she was prepared to face death and whatever sufferings life would throw at her. He would accept her decision and though he hated to think about it. . .

This was goodbye.

-SCENE CHANGE-

"Are you sure you want to do this, Sakura?" a smooth and concerned voice spoke up from before the pinkette.

Sakura nodded her head and with determination set into her slightly narrowed eyes, she confirmed, "Ah."

Tsunade stood in front of her in the dark room, an old office with bookshelves aligning each wall. There were old scrolls and books filling the shelves and some were stacked on the floors. A room that was only accessible to current or former Hokage, a room with many secrets and forgotten jutsu. It was hidden away in a passageway somewhere underneath the Hokage tower, hidden so that it couldn't be accidentally found.

The blonde woman wore a nervous and concerned expression, her brow furrowed and a frown on her lips as she held a small, red scroll in her hands in front of her. She didn't want her student to go through with this. She wanted the younger woman to stop this nonsense and come back to the village. To go back to being the top medic and helping children at her hospital. Who was she to deny someone of their dream though? An impossible dream. Just like Naruto.

Naruto and Sakura. . . They were just alike, which made Tsunade feel more confident that the pinkette would be okay. She just didn't like the outcome or what it would mean for the small woman.

"I have to admit, this idea of yours is brilliant." She said as she continued to look into that strong, green gaze. It truly was a great idea and something that only Sakura could do, but it would have dire consequences. Sakura would survive if she pulled off the forbidden jutsu that was within the scroll in her hands. She would survive, but. . .

She could never go back to being a shinobi again.

"I'll be fine." Sakura said, tilting her head to the side and letting a small smile graze her lips. Her eyes were wide and bright, showing absolutely no hesitation in her decision. Everything had been cleared and she had found what she needed to do. What she wanted to do. She would risk everything she had, but she wouldn't be giving up her life. "I've made it this far."

Her lips curved at the corner, deepening her smile as she added, "A shinobi is one who endures, ne?" Tsunade's almond eyes widened as those words entered her ears and she watched as that smile on the pinkette's lips spread until they formed a bright, toothy grin, her green eyes closed. All the blonde could do was close her own eyes and let a smile form on her own mouth.

"Honestly." she breathed out on the verge of a sigh. There was no helping this situation or stopping it. The former kunoichi was going to do what she wanted no matter what. That much had been proven already. The least Tsunade could do was help her along her way.

Looking down at the female, their eyes met and the tension they had felt previously that day was completely gone. Holding out her arms, the scroll was presented to the younger female for the taking. "Use it wisely, Sakura."

"Ah." the pinkette replied, a soft smile on her features and without hesitation, she took the scroll from her shishou. Pulling it close to her chest, she looked up to meet those almond eyes once again. "Thank you, Tsunade-shishou."

The blonde woman nodded her head before she leaned down. Wrapping her arms around the smaller female, she pulled the fragile body close to her chest. Closing her eyes, she felt more than saw the surprise that coursed through Sakura. Tsunade held on tightly and she frowned at how frail the body in her arms had become, almost as if her former pupil would break if she tightened her embrace just a tad more.

It was painful. . .

'What happened to you, Sakura?' A solemn thought filled with dread and worry.

Tsunade opened her eyes a fraction when she felt arms wrap around her torso and small palms rest on her back, the pinkette relaxing into her hold. "Thank you for everything, Tsunade-sama."

"No matter what," Sakura continued, her voice soft, but laced with confidence and determination. "I will always carry on The Will of Fire."

Almond eyes closed and the older woman fought back the sting of tears as she quietly replied, "I know you will."

"I'm proud of you, Sakura."

-END OF CHAPTER TEN-

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